The Canadian Lutheran July/August 2020

CANADIAN

The

LUTHERAN

www.canadianlutheran.ca

Volume 35 Number 4 - July/August 2020

Who is my neighbour?

Contents FEATURES www.canadianlutheran.ca Volume 35 Number 4

July/August 2020

Who is my Neighbour?

One in Christ: Lutherans and Canada’s First Nations People Sharing the Gospel in a Multicultural and Religiously Diverse World

6 9 12

DEPARTMENTS Table Talk Together, One

5

From the Regional Pastors West: You’re Grounded!

Central: Spiritual Warfare East: The Father Directs Our Speaking

20 24 28

In Review

Greyhound 39

Presidential Perspective Leaving the Light On

42

NEWS SECTIONS International News The Canadian Lutheran is the national publication of Lutheran Church–Canada, published in Winnipeg six times per year: January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/ December under the auspices of the Board of Directors (Committee for Communication and Technology).

ISSN #0383-4247 Member: Canadian Church Press Editor: Mathew Block Design: Alex Steinke Subscriptions: $20/yr E-mail: editor@lutheranchurch.ca

All material and advertising should be in the office of The Canadian Lutheran five weeks prior to publication date. Advertising rate card available upon request.

The Canadian Lutheran 3074 Portage Ave. Winnipeg, MB R3K 0Y2 Telephone: 204-895-3433 FAX: 204-897-4319 E-mail: editor@lutheranchurch.ca Materials published in The Canadian Lutheran, with the exception of Letters to the Editor, news reports, and advertising, receive doctrinal review and approval before publication. Contents of supplements are the responsibility of the organization purchasing the space. ©2020 Lutheran Church–Canada.

Reproduction of a single article or column for parish use does not require the permission of The Canadian Lutheran. Such reproductions, however, should credit The Canadian Lutheran as the source.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

15

President of the Malagasy Lutheran Church passes on to glory

National News

16

Documents for LCC’s 2020 Special Convention • Virtual VBS options Canada-wide • 2020 CCCA Awards • LCC communications team hosts webinar • Good Shepherd Valleyview building fire

West Region

19

Lethbridge Circuit Convocation • Youth confirmed in Richmond • 125th anniversary • Kids Clothing Exchange • Elders gathering fosters greater support • Foothills hosts presentation on MAID

Central Region

23

Upkeep at Camp Lutherland • Central District LWML holds webinar • Drive-In Worship Service • Virtual VBS • Dryden hosts online Vacation Bible School

East Region

27

Mats, Masks, and More • COVID-19 and Outreach in Windsor • Married during the pandemic • Vicar Inducted • Kitchener Circuit broadcasts joint Ascension Day service

Mission News

31

Not-So-Short-Term Missions • HLMS distributes food hampers, soap, and essentials to Haitians amid pandemic

Education News

34

2020 issue of Lutheran Theological Review • Concordia Lutheran Seminary students travel to Southeast Asia

41

Announcements , Transitions, and Classifieds

SUPPLEMENT

@thecanadianlutheran @lutheranchurchcanada

35

G ood N ew s f or Ever y Language L U T H E R A N B I B L E T R A N S L AT O R S O F C A N A D A

Summer 2020

Bible House dedicated! To God be the Glory!

S

unday, March 1, 2020, marked the realization of many hopes, dreams, and prayers and the culmination of much hard work.

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020 music and dancing, and several presentations and expressions of appreciation. Martin Weber gave a stirring account of how God was

3

Devote yourself to home study with new resources from Lutheran Hour Ministries The new booklet 30 Days of Household Devotions is based on the short Daily Devotions put out by Lutheran Hour Ministries. This booklet includes 30 sample devotions that are great for individual or group study.

30 Days of Household Devotions contains short devotions on various topics—each with questions to help you think through what you’ve just read and a simple prayer to help you form a daily practice of household devotions.

Another great new resource for children is The Bible Tells Me So—a kid’s booklet of creatively illustrated scripture verses. Each page features verses in rhyme to highlight the texts and help children understand the life-changing truths of the Bible.

30 Days of Household Devotions and The Bible Tells Me So are great together or on their own—whether you are looking for ways to grow individually, as a group, or for worship as a household.

LHM resources are available from Lutheran Laymen's League of Canada. info@lll.ca www.lll.ca 1-800-555-6236

Gifts of Securities “Just as you excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in complete earnestness and in your love for us, see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” 2 Corinthians 8:7 Giving is a word we hear often in our church, it reflects upon our talents and treasures. As Christians we are aware of the benefits that come from helping others. Think of the vast impact this can have when leaving a gift to the church.

Donations of securities allows you to take advantage of great tax benefits while supporting the ministries you love. This can be done in life or upon your death.

Securities can include appreciated shares, bonds, mutual funds, flowthrough shares, and employee stock options. Generous tax benefits apply to securities that have increased in value when they are donated in-kind to a registered charity.

Normally, securities that increase in value are subject to capital gains tax when sold. However, if the securities are donated (transferred) ‘in-kind’ to the charity (rather than selling them and donating the cash), the capital gains tax is avoided.

Contact your Regional Gift Coordinator today for more information on this wonderful act of Stewardship.

www.lutheranfoundation.ca 4

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

Table Talk

Together, One

by Mathew Block “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”

- 1 Corinthians 12:12-13

T

he horrific death of George Floyd and subsequent civil unrest have brought the issues of race and racism to renewed attention in North America. We have seen grief. We have seen anger. We have even seen violence.

As the Body of Christ, we are called to respond to the challenges of discrimination and societal discord with the good news of the Gospel, which is at its heart the story of the reconciliation of God to humankind.

That wondrous reconciliation also makes possible reconciliation here on earth. This is, after all, the promise of the coming of Christ: God’s “good will toward men,” yes, but also “peace on earth” (Luke 2:14).

Christ reconciles us to the Father, and so too He reconciles us one to another. St. Paul, speaking of the unity Jews and Gentiles had newly found in Christ, writes: “He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility… that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility” (Ephesians 2:14-16).

Christ has made all nations one in His own flesh, dying for them upon the cross and rising again.

Our mutual life in Christ gives us grounds for a unity beyond what the world can imagine—not merely the cessation of open hostilities but instead true oneness in and through Christ. We are one body. We are His body. “There is neither Jew nor Greek,” St. Paul writes, “there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

That doesn’t mean our differences suddenly disappear when we become Christians. But it does mean these differences are of no account in our standing before God, nor with one another. We are equal in the eyes of Jesus; He has ransomed every person for Himself. It is our great privilege to share the news of this reconciliation to God and one another with our sorrow-full and sin-laden world.

We preach this reconciliation first to ourselves. We ought to pray for and pursue an ever-greater demonstration in our churches of the unity we already enjoy in the Spirit as Christians. St. Paul tells us that “we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another” (Romans 12:5). And if we are members one of another, then we must seek to care for each other—to heal those injuries, like prejudice, which afflict fellow members in the Body of Christ. After all, “if one member suffers, all suffer together,” St. Paul says (1 Corinthians 12:26).

Embracing the unity we hold as members of the church, we can then step forth to bring the message of reconciliation to the wider world—to our families, to our neighbours, to our cities, and to our nations. We should seek justice for the oppressed.

We should beg mercy for sinners.

And over all, we must declare the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ—the reconciliation purchased with His precious blood and manifested in His living body, the Church.

Our features this issue will aid you as you contemplate the reconciliation which is ours in Christ. Rev. Dr. John Arthur Nunes teaches us to ask anew, “Who is my neighbour?”—and to consider what the answer might mean in our troubled times (page six). Rev. Randy Heide asks us to remember in particular our First Nations brothers and sisters in Christ, how we can encourage and support them in their faith walk (page nine). And Javed Khan considers what sharing the Gospel looks like in a multicultural society, encouraging us to forge real and meaningful friendships with our neighbours of different cultural backgrounds (page twelve).

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another” Jesus told the disciples. “Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34). That sacrificial love is the outworking of the unity we bear as members of the Body of Christ. It is, Jesus says, the very thing that reveals us as members of His body to the outside world: “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (13:35).

God grant us unity then, that our love for one another would abound— that it would overflow and flood this land, drowning hate with the mercy of Christ. Reconcile us, O Lord, to You, and in You to one another.

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

5

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?

by John Arthur Nunes

A

s if the loneliness of isolation weren’t enough, now we are gripped by the fear of anarchy and what feels to some like the collapse of western civilization. As tough as these times seem, I believe that the Holy Spirit relentlessly is present to help the Church navigate with confidence and hope these difficult days: “We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls” (Hebrews 10:39).

The twin crises of COVID-19 and rising mainstream awareness of racial injustice have tested our faith and rattled our settled ideas of normalcy. From Port of Spain, Trinidad to Uranium City, Saskatchewan life on our continent is challenged. Yes, I say stretching from the Caribbean, because people from Panama to Greenland geographically-speaking are our North American “neighbours.” Our current moment—whether because of social distancing or social unrest—retrieves for us an ancient question with biblical precedent: “Who is my neighbour?” (Luke 10).

6

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

REIMAGINING NEIGHBOURLINESS When I attended Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary (CLTS - St. Catharines, Ontario) in the late 1980s, Dean Roger Humann led a spiritual retreat based on Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s work Life Together. How can communities of faith ground our lives together in the place where grace is funded? Humann proposed, only with Christ at the centre! I remember our discussions including this volume’s cautionary note: that there was a destructive power when humans wrongly love even good things. For example, lovers of community, and nowadays, lovers even of diversity end up destroying what they love. Those, on the other hand, who reserve their love for Jesus Christ fortify community.

That principle has stuck with me and worked for me everywhere I’ve been in the ensuing thirty-plus years.

Truth endures, doesn’t it? My point is, as we ourselves endure our hard struggles (Hebrews 10:32), we do not need novel strategies; we do need to do old things in new ways, and answer ancient questions, like “Who is my neighbor?” with faithful reimagination.

Our renewed neighbourliness arises only as we continue to orbit our lives around the source and summit of our faith, Jesus Christ. He is the axis that holds all things together (Colossians 1:17). Through the inevitable zigzag course of our days, we hold firmly to the One who holds us in “the confession of our hope without wavering” (Hebrews 10:23). How do we keep being held? By participating regularly in God’s Word, in the Sacraments, and in the fellowship of the faithful. By dwelling in Christ, we will reinforce our habits of faith during these trying times even as we discover innovative ways to be forces for good and for God in increasingly diversified communities. To be the witnesses for peace and the workers for justice we are called to be, we must first “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28) in the One who calls us.

Since human persons are the crown of creation, all people are offered the saving gift that Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose to procure. Humans are able, by grace through faith, to uniquely know and love their Creator.

Therefore, we regard all persons as our neighbours— without any exclusions or exceptions! We value all persons as bearers of the dignity accredited to those both made in the image of God, and, in whom, as believers in Christ, the image will be fully restored.

Finally, we anticipate the renewal of creation, the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:2), where race is finally and fully transcended.

North American society seems to be moving in the opposite direction, as we increasingly dishonour, disregard, and disrespect our neighbours with blatant brutality. Social media tends to aggravate our rage and outrageousness. Stuck in a painful state of hyperpartisanship, we demonize each other and impose demands that are non-nuanced and non-negotiable. As religious faith fades, politics gains an inflated sense of religious ferocity. Even among those who profess belief, theology too often gets twisted to form a thin veneer of proof passages as cover for their group’s cultural ideology. We are meant for more than this as a people and as a Church. If we still possess the will to pursue a pathway forward, it will need to include a new neighbourliness led by Christians: respectful listening, principled civility, reasoned dialogue, mutual sacrifice, decision-making with an eye toward the

common good, and as James Hankins from Harvard University puts it much better than I: “the ability to recognize the value of what others value.”

I palpably remember as a student how proudly I admired the neighbourliness expressed in the old CLTS Academic Calendar. I was magnetized by what these words suggested as possible: that St. Catharines was located near the urban centers of Toronto, Hamilton, and Buffalo, New York, and that the area congregations were reflective of “the ethnic and linguistic diversity that is typically Canadian.” What a bracing vision, to celebrate pluralism as “typical,” an indubitable fact.

RACE AS FICTION. RACISM AS FACT. The most recent racial unrest in the United States has captured the attention of the mainstream culture in North American life, a stratum in which most Lutherans are located. Many are becoming more aware of what others have long known—the persistence of the structural evil of slavery, Jim Crow segregation, and the chronic lack of access afforded too many AfricanAmericans. Many are recognizing the gargantuan work yet to be done in addressing systemic corruption, unequal e c o n o m i c o p p o r t u n i t y, u r b a n v i o l e n c e, m a s s i n c a rc e ra t i o n , a n d t h e t re a t m e n t o f m i n o r i t y neighbours.

There may be similar opportunities in Canada among so-called minorities.

I say “so-called” because Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) comprise the vast majority of the world’s 7.8 billion people—conservatively 80 percent. The proportion of “minorities” in the U.S. and Canada will only grow as time goes on. Pew Research already reports that the most common age for white people in the United States today is 58, while for “minorities” it is 27.

It has always struck me as ironic that the majority of the world’s population qualifies as “minority.”

Obviously, this term refers more to power dynamics than numerical demographics. Because of this, I have an academic friend who uses the term minoritized rather than minority. He is referring to groups of people who have been assigned minority status. What makes this more ironic for Christians is that race is a theological and biological fiction. Genetic differences are as significant within so-called races as they are between so-called races. Yet, racism is a fact. Racism makes

It has always struck me as ironic that the majority of the world’s population qualifies as “minority.”

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

7

negative judgments about human worth, intelligence, or superiority based on phenotypes, that is, “organic, genetically transmitted differences (whether real or imagined) between human groups” (LCMS CTCR report on “Racism and the Church”).

SHATTERING STEREOTYPES One opportunity for Christians in Canada to engage in the work of social justice and evangelization is among our First Nations’ neighbours. The word “neighbour” derives historically from near-dweller; to be a neighbour requires proximity, getting close to others in order to get to know them. Social distancing is the opposite of neighbouring.

Rhonda Kelman is the Executive Director of BC Mission Boat Society. She described for me in a recent Zoom conversation what could be acquired only from getting close to those who are different. Her “stereotypes were shattered” through her work among First Nations peoples living in remote communities along Canada’s British Columbian coast. As she shares the love of Jesus in word and deed, she “listens and learns,” and is awakened to the many false assumptions that people have regarding the religious practices of these communities. “It’s not about animal worship,” Kelman maintains, “I’ve heard [First Nations] people ask, ‘How can I have my culture and Jesus at the same time?’”

In other words, how are we to understand the ways in which culture and Christianity intersect?

While becoming Christian certainly implies entering into a reverential framework that is distinct from this world, it also always entails cultural forms that are of this world—like language, music, ways of relating to one another, and even notions about time. During this moment of rising intercultural consciousness, we have a chance to learn about our own cultural blind-spots that falsely blur culture and theology. No matter who we are, our way cannot be the only way to come to the only One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 1:14).

Kelman speaks glowingly about experiencing welcome and hospitality among her First Nations neighbours. “I am amazed that we are invited and asked to go into their communities, especially in light of what they have suffered from church-based Residential Schools: sexually, physically, emotionally, having everything stripped away from them, not even being allowed to use their language.”

It is heartbreaking that Inuit people, for example, have experienced intergeneration trauma which contributes to the highest suicide rates in the world, as Helen Epstein writes in The New York Review of Books, and that in some communities “over half the

8

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

population uses drugs… including anything sniffable: starter fluid, spray paint, nails polish and gasoline.”

Who is my neighbour?

THREE SPLASHES OF INCLUSION Irrespective of your politics, Canada seems historically to have striven to be a place of welcome and inclusion. As the former president of Lutheran World Relief, I had the opportunity to travel the world, meeting and getting to know many global neighbours, especially those living in poverty. As a whole, Canada seems unique in valuing hospitality toward new neighbours. My family was blessed to be welcomed to Canada from Jamaica in the 1960s, and then to Pilgrim, Hamilton in the early 1970s.

Sadly, some of this spirit seems to be dissipating.

Perhaps this is in reaction to the ideological pressures of aggressive progressives. Perhaps it’s due to the nostalgic streak among some conservative types pining for a mythical era of monochromatic simplicity. Perhaps it’s an unhealthy influence from your politically divided neighbours to the south.

Whatever the socio-political motive, our identity in Christ’s mystical body must transcend categorization.

As baptized believers, we are new creations! And that matters more than any label. Likewise, we have a new view of our neighbours, seeing them not merely as labelable categories. Reborn, “we regard no one according to the flesh” (2 Corinthians 5:16). What God does for us in three splashes of water obliterates all distinctions. Who we are daily remade to be in the name of Father, Son, and Spirit outweighs any category like Métis, fundamentalist, racist, single-parent, Quebecois, steelworker, Latina, divorcee, Marxist, bishop, learning-disabled, or any of the pigeonholes in which we find ourselves placed. We are called into the world from that eternal-life-giving font by the perfect love that drives out fear (1 John 4:18).

Despite what feels these days like chaos and crisis, the Holy Spirit keeps our eyes riveted on Jesus Christ. The ordinary places in which we pray, play, live, love, and work comprise the neighbourhoods in which God has assigned us to live out our baptismal identities. We follow our Redeemer and Rabbi who was, as my former professor Rev. Dr. John R. Stephenson eloquently puts it, “the carpenter’s son, becoming not a garrulous member of the chattering classes, not a businessman in search of quick profit, not even mayor of the town, but a quiet, methodical, reliable carpenter alert to the needs of His neighbours.”

Rev. Dr. John Arthur Nunes is President of Concordia College (Bronxville, New York).

One in Christ:

Lutherans and Canada’s First Nations People

by

W

ith COVID-19 our world has changed. We are not permitted to live life the way we did even at the beginning of March 2020. We have been isolated and separated from our communities, neighbours, and even to some degree our families. Thankfully as I write this article, the isolation is beginning to be relieved, and there is hope that by next year everything could be back to how we are accustomed to living.

When we look at our Northern Canadian communities and the First Nations people that live with us in this magnificent country we call Canada, we must realize that the world for First Nations peoples likewise changed dramatically more than 400 years ago as colonialism began

Randy Heide

and spread across the country. Their nomadic lifestyle was first restricted and eventually taken away. They were pushed to settle into reservations. They were introduced to alcohol, and to European diseases. Their children were taken away from their communities, families, and way of life, and brought to Residential schools as early as 1831, where their names, language, and identities were removed in an attempt to teach them colonial ways. A variety of other abuses were experienced, and depression, suicide and violence were often a result. It was only in 1996 that the last of the Canadian residential schools was closed in Saskatchewan. It is with mixed emotion that survivors of both the Residential schools and the various forced THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

9

Jesus and are glad to share their journey with me.

I was honoured to participate in the Dr. William Winter School of Ministry (Kingfisher, Ontario), where I was introduced to many of the OjiCree Christian leaders from the area and given the opportunity to hear their stories. I heard about their struggles with tragedy and sickness, and how these situations often influence the entire community, as people are so closely interconnected.

What they sought at this weeklong study of the Book of Romans came into full view for me as we walked through the epistle’s fifth chapter: they wanted to hear once again the reassurance of the Gospel as they minister to each other.

What they wanted to hear was that Jesus loved them—that they need not do anything for adoption “scoops” recall both what they endured as well His grace and mercy but simply as some positive relationships developed. receive His love through the cross Today we cannot change the past or what happened. and empty Easter tomb. They want There is no way we can make up for the struggles caused to know the love Jesus has for them to the First Nation peoples of Canada, as attempts were in this life and the next. They want made by the Crown to change how they lived, how they to have assurance as they minister to saw the settlers who were now part of their country, and others around them and grieve alongside them. how they viewed this new world around them.

When LAMP enters a community, it is our position The work Lutheran Association of Missionaries and not to come with preconceived ideas as to what they Pilots (LAMP) has been doing for fifty years in no way need from us. Instead we meet with the community attempts to dismiss or leaders and ask what place judgement on what needs they have and how was done in the past. we can help. And every an we change the past The work we are called community without o but we are not being to do is simply share exception has asked that the love we have for we help their children. asked to e are being Jesus with a people who Therefore, the key focus already know, believe, for our work begins with asked to walk alongside and love Jesus. summer Vacation Bible our irst ation brothers In the short time I School missions, grows have been serving with into Youth Outreach, and sisters in the faith LAMP, I have witnessed and from there expands a people who desire to to include visits with today know more about the women of the community Word of God, who seek in a formal Tea, and if a better understanding of their relationship with God, possible with the men in a less formal rod and reel time and who want to grow in the grace of Jesus’ forgiveness (fishing). As relationships with various communities and merciful love. I do find people who are angry—who have developed we have been asked to lead Parenting reject and push away the faith because of the hurts and and Marriage Workshops to help young couples connect struggles they have experienced. But most First Nations the love of Jesus with a scriptural base for marriage and people I have met are thankful for their relationship with family relationships.

“C N —

F

?

. W N

.”

10

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

The congregations and teams from Canada, along with the majority of our supporting teams and congregations from the United States, adopt the communities of Northern Canada they serve. These trips aren’t one-off summer mission ‘holidays’; these servants of Christ are committed to serve the community year-round, some having served for more than 30 years. Praying for the community, staying in touch through social media and phone visits, and even making Community Winter trips, as opportunities allow.

Often when tragedies and struggles strike the community, LAMP’s teams and mission staff contact community leaders to pray for and with them, at times making special trips into communities to make direct contact with those in need. Last June I was able to fly into Sandy Lake Ontario as Pastor Pilot Dennis Ouellette brought LWML Prayer blankets to the parents and family affected by a teen’s suicide. It was his focus to pray with and comfort them, reminding them that Jesus was with them in their grief and loss.

Can we change the past? No—but we are not being asked to. We are being asked to walk alongside our First Nation brothers and sisters in the faith today—to laugh with them, to cry with them, and to share the hope and comfort we have through Jesus Christ. This is the vision of LAMP, looking forward to that day when all nations walk together in the light of Christ. From the Revelation of St. John 7:9-12, we read:

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen!

Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Do you believe in that same vision? May the Holy Spirit lead you to learn more and to become part of this ministry, as we learn about the forgiveness of Christ from our First Nation brothers and sisters—and as we celebrate the consolation and hope of Christ we share together.

Thanks be to God for the gift of Christ’s mercy and love which covers us all with His righteousness.

Rev. Randy Heide is a Missionary Pastor with Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots.

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

11

Sharing the Gospel in a Multicultural and Religiously Diverse World

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Psalm 46:10

I

by Javed Khan

t was late. After dinner, most of our guests had left.

A young college student, as well as a couple and their two children lingered on, the younger child sleeping on the sofa while the elder one played on a cellphone. More tea, more efforts to make conversation had failed. It was then that we realized that the friends had something they wanted to talk about. As soon as the last guest had left, the dam broke and a deluge of questions about Christianity began: “Why do you give so much of your time and effort to help us and others in so many ways?”

This was the icebreaker which my wife and I had been seeking for the last year and a half. This was the first time in our friendship that this family asked questions about Christianity, Jesus Christ, the church—all of them prefixed with a “why”. Needless to say, these questions had been brewing in their minds for quite some time.

12

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

This one conversation led to individual Bible study with them. As they spread the word to others, it soon became a group Bible study.

Background In 1971, Canada was the first country in the world to adopt multiculturalism as an official policy. By so doing, Canada affirmed the value and dignity of all Canadian citizens regardless of their racial or ethnic origins, their language, or their religious affiliation. Canadians today practise many faiths including Sikhism, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Jainism, Baha’i, and Confucianism.

Globalization has divorced faiths from locations and cultures. As access to various religions has become more

universal, there are fewer barriers preventing people from joining faiths that differ from their tradition. In Canada it is difficult to separate religious groups on the basis of ethnicity. Ethnic groups share the same language, physical features, customs, and traditions. Religious groups share common belief systems but are not necessarily a single ethnic group.

The question is, how do we reach out to the vast mass of humanity which is so visible around us in the form of coworkers, immigrants, refugees, students, and business-people?

Barriers The cultural, social, and religious barriers that can hinder acceptance of a biblical understanding of Jesus Christ grow from one’s experiences, circumstances, and reasoning. These become filters through which a person processes, evaluates, and accepts or rejects information.

Some of these barriers can include: • Cultural and linguistic difficulties arising from poor translation, imperfect accents, differences in body language, and cultural differences as to what constitutes appropriate behaviour (for example, punctuality and gift giving), among other misunderstandings.

• A failure to understand due to hearing the Gospel in a second language.

• Insensitivity on the part of the person sharing the Gospel as a result of prejudice or a lack of cultural respect.

These barriers and others can be overcome through prayer and by building meaningful relationships.

Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman (John 4:4-42) gives us an example of how cultural barriers like these can be overcome. First, we see a Jew (Jesus) talking to a Samaritan, breaching the socio-ethnic barrier.

Second, a man is talking to a woman, breaching the gender barrier. Third, a pious person is talking to a sinful person, breaching the moral or religious barrier. Jesus Christ sets the example Himself.

It is helpful when reaching out to others to learn more about their culture and religion, seeking points of connection that believers can use to bridge barriers (see Paul’s example in Acts 17:22-23). Other attitudes important in intercultural Gospel outreach include opening yourself to cross-cultural contacts; being willing to engage in conversation; building relationships through an awareness of the other person’s needs; and demonstrating respect for others’ cultures (for example, by learning a few words or key phrases in their language).

Building Relationships Relationship building is a key part of intercultural ministry; we cannot lay enough emphasis on this aspect of evangelism. It is imperative to build strong relationships with people—to make friends with them.

Trust grows slowly; it may take years to develop a reputation for being trustworthy. But if you gain that trust—if you build strong relationships with your friends of another culture—you will save many an adverse situation.

Intercultural ministry is at times messy. There are mistakes on all sides. The Lord’s servant must “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have,” as Peter encourages. But we must do so “with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

After all, as Martin Luther says, “It is the duty of every Christian to be Christ to his neighbour.” We must follow Paul’s example: “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do this all for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23).

A wise and loving Christian will seek to be discerning in how, when, where, and why they share the story of Jesus. That means you need to practise patience. You need to be hospitable—one of the backbones of intercultural ministry. Inviting others to your home is a way of telling them how much you respect and care for them. But we must remember Luther’s advice: “We do not serve others with an eye toward making them obligated to us. Nor do we distinguish between friends and enemies or anticipate their thankfulness or ingratitude.”

You also need to be people conscious rather than system conscious. Treat people as individuals, not as “objects” or “targets.” Be ready for deep friendship, not casual friendship.

And be well prepared before you get into religious dialogue with your friends. You will be surprised how many are already well-versed in your religion.

Do’s and Don’ts Do respect the faith of others. Respecting a person means respecting who they are. All people hold beliefs by which they live their lives and which influence their encounters with other belief systems. To enter into dialogue with people of other faiths, we need to be firmly grounded in our own faith. But do not get defensive or argumentative.

Admire everything good about what your friends believe in order to help them open up. Don’t affirm their heresy, but admire their honesty. Find areas of common ground you can compliment them on.

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

13

Ask them questions about what they believe—not to trap them but to understand them, and to break down relational barriers keeping them from considering Jesus.

Admit that the reason you are a Christian is that you know you’ve fallen short and need someone to rescue you as you cannot do it on your own. That “someone” is Jesus.

Finding Common Ground Sometimes people from a western background feel awkward when meeting or conversing with people from another country—sometimes even with people from another congregation. Step out of your comfort zone.

Take a personal interest in the visitors to your church or Christmas party. Ask them about their customs, culture, food, dress, children, and needs. Many eastern societies are fond of talking especially about their food and clothing.

As you mature in friendship, some leading questions can help in sharing the Gospel. For example: What are some joys you are experiencing? Many people love to talk about the good things in their lives but are afraid others won’t care. Just by asking and listening, you open the door for great interaction. Sometimes the blessings people are experiencing can open the door for deeper conversation.

What challenges are you facing? People generally only share their hurts with someone who they believe truly cares about them. Talking about challenges can create space for you to pray with or for your friends.

Once you have established a friendship, you may be able to bring up harder questions: What is your personal history when it comes to faith and God? Some people might say, “I have no history when it comes to religion,” or “I grew up going to Mass every week and my parents are quite devout,” or “I have always been very spiritual and I still read my horoscope daily and do a lot of meditation.” This question can start an ongoing conversation about religion.

What do you believe about God? With this question, we move into more personal convictions and beliefs.

Some Christians feel pressured to correct “wrong thinking” or “errant theology” in their conversations with nonbelievers. Try not to do this.

What is your perception of Christianity? It takes courage to ask this question, listen, and not get defensive.

Sharing the Gospel can be a long process. Never give up on a friendship; you may never know what the Holy Spirit is doing through you.

Even when it seems the proclamation of the Gospel has not been received, I must not, as a witness to the story of Jesus, abandon the relationship. The friendship must endure; this very act is a testament to the resurrective, restorative, and recreative Kingdom of Jesus—to bring unity and fellowship when once there was disharmony and division.

14

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

Sharing the Gospel with Non-Christian Friends Potential Conversation Starters!

Talking to Muslims?

• Have you ever been to Mecca or do you plan to go?

• What parts of Islam do you wish people understood better?

• Do you believe you need to live by the Five Pillars of Islam in order to go to heaven?

• What do you believe about Jesus Christ?

• How would your friends and family react if you converted to Christianity? How does that make you feel?

Talking to Hindus?

• What’s your spiritual background?

• Would you tell me what you love most about Hinduism?

• What parts of Hinduism are the most difficult for you to accept or practise?

• What do you base your view of God on?

• What purpose do good and evil serve in Hinduism?

Remember!

Other religions teach that salvation is based on what you DO; Christianity teaches that salvation is based on what Jesus has DONE. • Muslims believe man’s good works have to outweigh his bad works. (DO) • Hinduism teaches that if one does enough good, you can pay off karmic debt and escape the cycle of regeneration. (DO) • Sikhs believe that salvation is earned through good works. (DO) • Jesus says it has already been done; salvation comes as a free gift through His death and resurrection.

(DONE) Javed Khan is a lay missionary with Windsor Essex County Lutheran Outreach (WECLO). For more on WECLO’s work during the pandemic, see page 27.

International News www.canadianlutheran.ca

President of the Malagasy Lutheran Church passes on to glory

FLM President David Rakotonirina following his election in 2016.

M A DAG A S CA R - Re v. D r.

David Rakotonirina, President of the Malagasy Lutheran Church (Fiangonana Loterana Malagasy – FLM) passed on to glory suddenly on July 11, 2020 as a result of COVID-19.

A funeral service for President Rakotonirina was held on July 12, 2020. Because of the pandemic, a funeral open to the public was not possible, but the service was streamed online.

“President David Rakotonirina was a respected and committed confessional Lutheran churchman, and a good friend,” said Rev. Dr. Timothy Quill, General Secretary of the International Lutheran Council (ILC). “Oh, how blest are they whose toils are ended,” Dr. Quill said, quoting the hymn by Simon Dach.

He further asked Lutherans around the world to keep David’s wife and family, as well as the Malagasy church, in their prayers.

In addition to serving as President of the FLM, President Rakotonirina had assumed the presidency of the Council of Christian Churches in Madagascar (FFKM) in January 2020. In that position, he had

encouraged the government to take greater steps to control the spread of the deadly coronavirus, and urged churchgoers to follow government health directives. The Malagasy Lutheran Church itself had distributed food, medicine, and prevention kits through its hospitals and health centres to various areas of the country.

Dr. Rakotonirina received his Master of Theology degree from the Graduate School of Theology in Fianarantsoa, Madagascar in 1997.

He served in congregational ministry from 1997-2006. From 2006-2010, he served as president of the seminary Sekoly Teolojikam-Paritany Loterana Atsimoniavoko, while also pursuing graduate studies through Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana (CTSFW).

D r. Ra k o t o n i r i n a b e c a m e President of the FLM’s Antananarivo Synod in 2012. On September 13, 2016, Dr. Rakotonirina was elected President of the Malagasy Lutheran Church. CTSFW awarded him an honourary doctorate of divinity in May 2018. He was also the recipient of several national awards in Madagascar.

During Dr. Rakotonirina’s presidency, the FLM pursued greater relationship with confessional Lutherans worldwide. In May 2018, the church voted to pursue altar and pulpit fellowship with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Later the same year, the Malagasy Lutheran Church was accepted into full membership of the International Lutheran Council on September 26, 2018, during the ILC’s World Conference meeting in Antwerp, Belgium.

The Malagasy Lutheran Church is one of the largest and fastest growing Lutheran church bodies in the world. The International Lutheran Council, of which the FLM is a member, is a worldwide association of confessional Lutheran church bodies and groups which proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the basis of an unconditional commitment to the Holy Scriptures as the inspired and infallible Word of God and to the Lutheran Confessions contained in the Book of Concord as the true and faithful exposition of the Word of God. ILC News

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

15

National News www.canadianlutheran.ca

LCC releases additional documents pertaining to 2020 Special Convention CANADA - As per the Special Convention Notice sent out to Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC) congregations on July 9, 2020, additional information has been released with regards to delegates, including the overture from the Board of Directors as well as Bulletin #1 for October’s Special Convention.

The documents can be accessed and downloaded on LCC’s website.

The Board of Directors, at its June 27, 2020 meeting, called for an

online or virtual Special Convention of Lutheran Church–Canada to be held on Saturday, October 17, 2020 (12:00 noon CDT) for the purpose of amending Statutory Bylaw 9.01 to allow for postponement of a convention if precluded by some extraordinary event and to be held

as soon as feasibly possible. The full article with the initial announcement can also be accessed on LCC’s website.

To stay up to date, visit: www.lutheranchurchcanada.ca/ eventscalendar/sc2020/

LCC congregations coordinate, offer virtual VBS options Canada-wide, all summer long!

ONLINE - Lutheran Church– Canada (LCC) congregations across the country have come together to coordinate free Virtual Vacation Bible School (VBS) options for families all summer long—no matter where you live! Emails have been sent out to all congregations with details, relevant links, as well as digital marketing material to share on social media and with members in their communities.

What does a “Virtual VBS” look like in a practical sense? Of course the message of Christ and His promises remain the same, and should be taught accordingly. But how does the virtual element change how we organize and deliver God’s Word in a VBS setting? Though

16

labelled as “virtual,” children will still create tangible crafts at home; play games; eat snacks; sing songs; act out Bible stories; and pray!

The style and format will vary depending on the individual congregation hosting VBS for that week. In general, families that register will be given a list of needed materials well in advance. Children will be able to participate in the Opening and Closing through YouTube Live or pre-recorded videos. Each activity or “station” will correspond to a simple one-page instruction sheet.

Parents can pick and choose which activities work for them; the materials can be used at any time of day, in any order! All activities are geared towards minimizing screen

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

time and maximizing engaging, Christ-focused educational activities for the whole family!

The schedule also highlights which VBS material will be used for each week, including Concordia Publishing House (CPH)’s Rainforest Explorers: Jesus Leads the Way!; CPH’s Rocky Railway: Jesus’ Power Pulls us Through; Standard Publishing’s Adventures on Promise Island: Where kids discover God’s lifesaving love!; as well as some original programs developed by individual congregations.

For more information,visit: www.lutheranchurchcanada. ca/eventscalendar/lcc-virtualvbs-2020/

National News www.canadianlutheran.ca

The Canadian Lutheran and the 2020 CCCA Awards

CA N A DA - T h e C a n a d i a n Christian Communicators Association (CCCA - formerly known as the Canadian Church Press) held its annual awards ceremony on June 29, 2020, and The Canadian Lutheran magazine took home four awards: First Place (From the Editor), Second Place (Magazine Features), Third Place (Media Review), and Third Place (Theological Reflection). The 2020 awards, which took place online this year, honour excellence in Canadian Christian publishing over the 2019 year.

“It’s always gratifying to see Lutheran Church–Canada’s national

magazine recognized for excellence in this way,” said Mathew Block, editor of The Canadian Lutheran.

“We work hard to provide readers with quality material that both informs and encourages them in their faith. We are blessed to have such strong writers contributing to our magazine, and it’s wonderful to see their hard work acknowledged.”

Mathew Block received first place in the “From the Editor” category for his column “Serving Those Who Serve.” The article introduced the January/February 2019 issue, which addressed the subject of church workers and mental health. The category judge called the column “inspiring” and a “well-argued call to action.”

Rev. Dr. Harold Ristau took second place in the Magazine Features category for his article “One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church: Going Out of Business?” Dr. Ristau’s article encourages churches

to remember that “the church is in no other business than giving”—even when that might look like foolishness to the outside world. The category judge called the piece “one of the most original articles I have read” and “such an important topic for the church.”

Rev. Ted Giese received third place in the Media Review category for his review of It: Chapter 2, bringing a Christian perspective to the Stephen King story. The category judge called his review “very wellwritten,” saying it was filled with “astute observations and a balanced critique that feels objective.”

Rev. Dr. John Stephenson received third place in the Theological Reflection category for his article “Maker of All Things… Invisible.”

Dr. Stephenson’s article explores the nature and service of the angelic host. (As of press time, comments from this category judge had not been received.)

Virtual vs In-Person: LCC communications team hosts webinar called “Both/And”

‘in-person vs. virtual’ ministry; good practices; technology and logistics; and copyright considerations.

Thanks to all who attended and participated in the webinar live— about 60 people across the Synod— and thanks to all who watched the recorded webinar after the fact. The YouTube video remains accessible via LCC’s YouTube Channel.

ONLINE - Lutheran Church– Canada’s (LCC) Communications Webinar was held on July 8, 2020 to facilitate discussion and offer guidance for congregations looking to maintain some level of online ministry even into the eventual

“re-opening” of church doors. LCC Communications Director, Alex Steinke, and Rev. Michael Schutz, chairman of LCC’s Committee for Communications and Technology (CCT) joined forces to host a guided, interactive discussion on topics like THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

17

National News www.canadianlutheran.ca

Good Shepherd in Valleyview suffers fire holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.

The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” – Psalm 46

Firefighters battle the blaze at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Valleyview, Alberta. (Photos courtesy of Todd Loewen).

by Michelle Heumann VALLEYVIEW, Alta. - Late in the evening of July 26, 2020, the building belonging to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, a historical storefront located on Main Street, caught on fire. Rev. Shiekh Lief Mauricio, who has been the pastor there since 2019, reports that the building is “essentially destroyed.”

“The disastrous fire was a shock for us,” Rev. Mauricio stated. “The devil, the world, and the flesh certainly do not want God’s name to be hallowed among us nor let His kingdom come through Word and Sacrament by the grace of the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to us as a gift and comforter for Jesus’ sake.

We trust that God will turn our day of trouble into good in His time and in His way.”

An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing. On July 28, the insurance inspector was able to access the building, and the damage is extensive. The building, a town landmark which began as a general store, had been undergoing renovations, many of them carried out by members who volunteered.

18

“Lots of blood, sweat, and tears were shed as a labour of love for God and for our neighbours,” said Rev. Mauricio. “We were hoping to have the grand opening of our church in November.”

The congregation gathered for worship the Sunday after the fire on the farm of one of its members, and are seeking a rental facility going forward.

“This is a great tragedy,” said Rev. Robert Mohns, West Regional Pastor for LCC. “May God look after all the saints in Valleyview, and give them strength during this difficult time. I encourage all members of Lutheran Church–Canada, and friends around the world, to remember the people of Good Shepherd Lutheran in prayer.”

Prayer “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

A LMIGHTY and everlasting God, You are the strength of those who suffer and the comfort of all who grieve. Let the prayers of your children who have suffered the loss of their house of prayer by fire rise to you. Grant your mercy and peace to Pastor Mauricio and the members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Valleyview, Alberta. Surround them with your present love and hold them in faith and hope. Through Jesus Christ, our rock and redeemer. Amen.

Michelle Heumann is Regional News Editor for The Canadian Lutheran.

West Region News

Alberta and British Columbia - Michelle Heumann, editor

Stephen Ministers commissioned S P RU C E V I E W, A l t a . - On Sunday, January 26, 2020, six lay leaders from King of Kings Lutheran Church were commissioned as Stephen Ministers.

Stephen Ministers are lay people trained to offer high-quality, one-onone Christian care to people going through tough times. A Stephen Minister usually provides care to one person at a time, meeting with that person once a week for about an hour. Once a month, Stephen Ministers gather with their Stephen Leaders for supervision and continuing education. Stephen Ministry congregations equip and empower lay caregivers to provide

Katie Hillman, Kathy Berry, Lois Jobs, Jean Kaiser, Elaine Kure, Tracy Rowbotham, and Linda Herron (Stephen Minister leader) high-quality, confidential, Christcentered care to people who are hurting, according to Galatians 6:2—

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Lona Fawcett

Lethbridge Circuit Convocation LETHBRIDGE, Alta. - On February 22, 2020, Immanuel Lutheran Church in Lethbridge hosted a meeting of leaders from other Lutheran Church–Canada churches in the area, the first meeting of this kind in many years. Regional Pastor Robert Mohns was in attendance to share the importance of the circuit in the new synodical structure, which has been in place since early 2019. The group enjoyed good dialogue, and plan to meet semi-annually. Tyler Rodgers chaired the meeting, which was attended by representatives from Milk River, Magrath, Pincher Creek, Taber / Dutchess, Medicine Hat, and Lethbridge.

Tyler Rodgers

Eleven youth confirmed in Richmond RICHMOND, B.C. - On February 2, 2020, Trinity Lutheran Church celebrated the Rite of Confirmation for eleven youth. To assist in the learning process, each confirmand, together with a parent or guardian, attended classes led by Rev. Dr. Steven Harold. This not only encouraged mutual study time for parent and child between classes, but reinforced the parents’ knowledge as well.

It was a particular blessing to hear each confirmand read a personal story of faith to the congregation throughout the service, sharing how God has affected their lives. With the recent hiring of a part-time, shared youth worker, the congregation hopes to continue nurturing these new adult members in growing their faith and in service to the Lord.

Allen Schellenberg THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

19

West Region News

Alberta and British Columbia - Michelle Heumann, editor

You’re Grounded!

FROM THE REGIONAL PASTOR, REV. ROBERT MOHNS

“Y

ou’re grounded!” “That’s the worst word ever invented,” retorted the teenager, slamming the bedroom door.

For young people, the word “grounded” always seems to have a negative meaning. After one hundred days of mandated social isolation and being locked inside our homes, we might well sympathize with the sentiment. Of course, our grounding is not a disciplinary measure. It is more in line with the original meaning of the word. The word “grounded” comes from the aerospace industry; when pilots failed their physical examination, they were grounded.

They could not do their job, and they had to remain on the ground.

For our physical safety, both ours and others, medical officers have set in place quarantine measures which have seen vast portions of our population staying home. I do not know too many people who have considered this grounding enjoyable.

At the same time, our world has seen large-scale upheaval. The scale and speed of recent social, economic, moral, and institutional turmoil has been breathtaking. Much of what once seemed like foundational truth and bastions of stability have crumbled. Many people are left scurrying about, seeking something else to keep them grounded.

Such is not the case for God’s people. You are grounded! You always have been. You are grounded in the eternal Word of God which never changes (Isaiah 40:8). You are grounded in the one eternal God Himself who never changes (Deuteronomy 33:27). A brief survey of the Scriptures will show you just how grounded you are.

20

In the beginning, God gathered the waters into one place and said, “Let dry land appear” (Genesis 1:10).

God could have made humanity to live in the sky or outer space or in the ocean depths. But He spoke, and dry land appeared. Out of the dust of that ground, He formed Adam, the first human being, from whom all humans would come forth (Genesis 2:7). Talk about being grounded!

It was God who preserved Noah and his family when the deluge removed life from the land, and it was God who caused the waters to recede and provided safe harbour for Noah to return to the land (Genesis 5-8). It was God who led Abram to a new land and gave it to him as a possession (Genesis 12). It was God who parted the waters of the sea and led His people back to the promised land on dry ground (Exodus 14:22).

It was God who took His finger to tablets of stone hewn from the ground and wrote His Law and commandments to instruct His people (Exodus 24: 12).

It was God in Christ Jesus who later wrote with His finger upon the ground and delivered an adulterous woman from the consequences of breaking the Law (John 8).

It was God who, when asked by Moses to reveal His glory, hid His servant in the ground, in the crag of a rocky cleft, and sealed it with His hand while He passed by (Exodus 33:22). Elijah came to the rocky crag too to hide as His forefather Moses had done, hoping against hope that God would deliver him. There, stuffed in the ground, Elijah received more than the passing-by of God; there God spoke in a small, silent voice His crystal-clear word of deliverance to Elijah (1 Kings 19).

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

All of Scripture reveals just how grounded we are. We are grounded in God’s Word. We are grounded in God’s creating of us, and we grounded in God’s saving of us.

In the fullness of time, the Word became flesh. God took on the human flesh of His creation. Yes, God took on the dust of the ground He had once spoken into existence— the same ground out of which He formed Adam and all the Adams who followed. In humble obedience, the Son of God walked the dusty ground, fulfilling all righteousness and calling Adam’s descendants to repentance and to faith.

He humbled Himself even unto death, death on a cross, where His shed blood flowed onto the ground.

His lifeless body was buried, stuffed into the ground, in a borrowed tomb.

In the ground He spent the Sabbath’s rest, before being raised by His Father to appear before the disciples and many other followers. And then He ascended to the right hand of His Father, from whence He will come again to bring judgement to the earth and deliverance for His people.

Our grounding does not end there.

John foresaw “a new heaven and a new earth!” (Revelation 21:1) Did you read that right? God provides a new earth for His saints to walk upon. Our lives are for always and forever grounded!

And so we bury the bodies of our loved ones in the ground, for God to care for, in the sure and certain hope that He will raise those bodies and set them to live again upon that new earth.

You, dear saints, are grounded!

It’s the best word ever! May God keep you grounded in His Word, and may He lead many more to be grounded in it.

West Region News

Alberta and British Columbia - Michelle Heumann, editor

St. Matthew Stony Plain celebrates 125th anniversary

S T O N Y P L A I N , A l t a . - On February 23, 2020, St. Matthew Evangelical Lutheran Church celebrated its 125th anniversary as a congregation. This celebration took place during the regular weekly morning service. The anniversary focus featured a 15-minute video developed by Nordic Media, which presented timeless interviews of congregational members and the impact that the church community and faith in Christ has had on their lives through as many as five generations—members who were baptized, confirmed, and married in the church, and whose parents

and grandparents built and made St. Matthew’s their home church since its creation in 1894. The video is a great keepsake for generations to come, so they can hear how the church has affected the lives of the current generation.

Regional Pastor Robert Mohns brought a congratulatory message from Synod, and joined more than 200 members of the church family in a potluck luncheon following the service.

The video presentation was complemented by a compilation of photographs of the church and its members over the

years. It truly reflected the many accomplishments and progression of the church over its 125 year history from 1894 to 2019.

Dennis Woolsey

Kids Clothing Exchange DRUMHELLER, Alta. - On February 8, 2020, Grace Lutheran sponsored a Kids Clothing Exchange for the entire community. Donated clothing had to be clean, with no rips, stains, broken zippers, or missing buttons, and no toys or adult clothing were accepted.

Donations were collected at various locations in town, and vouchers were given when a donation was made.

The vouchers could then be exchanged for clothing at the event.

Ninety garbage bags of clothing were donated, and thanks to the volunteers, everything was sorted according to size and gender. After the event, which was a huge success, leftover clothing was donated to the Salvation Army, and newborn items were given to the Pregnancy Care Centre. The event was a win-win for everyone, and a much needed help for families with growing children.

Rosalie Nimmo

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

21

West Region News

Alberta and British Columbia - Michelle Heumann, editor

Canadians attend LCMS Best Practices conference WEST REGION - From February 20-22, 2020, more than twenty members of Lutheran Church–Canada, many of them from the West Region, attended the Best Practices conference at Christ Church Lutheran, an LCMS congregation in Phoenix, Arizona.

In total, more than 2,500 people attended this free conference for church workers and lay people, which has been hosted by Christ Lutheran since 2012.

Elders gathering fosters greater support PEACE RIVER CIRCUIT, Alta.

- The elders of congregations in the Peace River Circuit, concerned about the spread of COVID-19, took the precaution of seeking advice from Regional Pastor Robert Mohns.

On March 14, 2020, the elders of the congregations met with Regional Pastor Mohns to discuss the need for

support during vacancies and pastoral burnout. The circuit is one of the largest in LCC geographically, leading to logistical challenges, in addition to issues on the congregational level. The gathering gave elders an opportunity to understand each other’s challenges moving forward.

The new relationships will help

foster greater dialogue—something particularly valuable during the COVID-19 crisis.

The elders hope that going forward they will be able to have more circuit events in order to support each other better.

Gary Goebel

Emmaus Lutheran celebrates World Day of Prayer

A representation of the Zimbabwean flag and two women in authentic garb.

DRAYTON VALLEY, Alta. - On March 2, 2020, Emmaus Lutheran Church hosted a World Day of Prayer service, written by the women of the World Day of Prayer Zimbabwe Committee, with the theme “Rise! Take Your Mat and Walk.” In attendance were thirtyone people, some from Emmaus

Foothills hosts presentation on MAID CALGARY, Alta. - On March 2, 2020, Foothills Lutheran Church hosted a presentation by Dr. Joe Askin, a local Lutheran physician, called “A Lutheran Perspective on Medical Aid in Dying (MAID).”

The large crowd that attended from the congregation and the community was provided with insightful facts

and details that led to several questions and great discussions.

Resources were also provided for the attendees to delve deeper into the issue.

The evening marked the beginning of the congregation’s annual Lent study, focused this year on the sanctity of life. The series

Lutheran Church, and some from other congregations in Drayton Valley. Rev. Robert Marshall (pastor of Emmaus Lutheran) preached on the theme, and encouraged attendees to ask what “Rise! Take your mat and walk” meant for them.

Tina E. Friesen Photos by Brenda Reich

was cut short due to the COVID-19 situation, but will be continued next Lent. The church’s Board of Christian Education believes it is important for church leaders to take time away from meetings and instead to take time to grow together in God’s Word.

Tobi Stene, Co-Chair of the Board of Christian Education

WEST REGION

Contact Rev. Robert Mohns, Regional Pastor

| rmohns@lutheranchurch.ca | 1. 855. 826. 9950 | 22

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

Central Region News

Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and NW Ontario - Michelle Heumann, editor

Upkeep at Camp Lutherland

Diane Dennis (Vice President for Christian Growth, LWMLC Central District) presents a mission grant cheque to Camp Lutherland board member Lavinia Henderson.

FORT QU’APPELLE, Sask. - While rentals and summer camp activities at Camp Lutherland have been cancelled for 2020, things have remained busy, as this unexpected quiet period has permitted an opportunity to complete some upkeep.

“We’ve got a few projects either on the go or just finishing up,” said Board Chair Darrell Neu. The interior of the lodge is being refreshed with muchneeded coats of paint, as well as with new room fans, mattresses, and covers.

Grounds repairs are also underway.

A $10,500 mission grant from the Lutheran Women’s Missionary LeagueCanada (LWMLC) Central District for

mattress and fan replacement was received earlier in the year. Board Chair Neu went on to say: “This funding has allowed us to purchase fourteen tower fans, and replace all fourteen of the double mattresses and eighteen of the forty-two single mattresses in the lodge. The Board appreciates the incredible support of our sisters in Christ at LWMLC Central District. Without their support, we would have had to wait several more years before we’d be in a position to fund those from our budget.”

Mattresses and covers were sourced from The Brick in Regina. Staff there were also instrumental in helping the camp find an organization that could use the old mattresses. Tower fans were purchased from Canadian Tire and will replace the small round desk fans that have been in use for years.

Work crews have been out many times over the past weeks. Board member Eugene Frank and Camp Administrator Caron Frank spent a day setting up the bunks with the new double mattresses and half of the single bunks, as well as placing the mattress covers. On another morning, Diane Dennis (Vice President for Christian Growth, LWMLC Central District), her husband Rev. Lowell Dennis, and

board member Lavinia Henderson finished off the other single bunks and placed new mattress covers.

A work bee was held on May 26, and Darrell Neu, Garnet Fry, Leonard Pantel, Eugene Frank, and Lavinia Henderson were joined by volunteers Caron Frank, Len Pantel, and Diane Dennis. Crews spent the morning and some of the afternoon leveling low spots on the grounds, clearing deadwood from the shelterbelts, and refinishing the desktops.

While financially the pandemic is a challenge for the camp, the board is grateful for the time and opportunity to get work done. The camp looks forward to a busy 2021 with many events and the return of regular summer programming.

Lavinia Henderson, Board Secretary

“Rejoice in Hope”: Central District LWMLC holds webinar

ONLINE - The Central District of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League-Canada held a webinar on June 27, 2020, with 52 attendees.

The theme was based on Romans 12:12— “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

As church services, meetings, and group gatherings were cancelled and new ways of meeting had to be found, the word “webinar” became a household name over the last few months. The Central District decided

to try one as a way to reach out to the Zones and Societies.

The event began with an opening prayer by District Pastoral Counsellor Rev. Robert Grout. The guest pastor, Rev. Ken Maher, graciously agreed to come back virtually to his old stomping grounds in the Central District to lead Bible Study. He currently serves Christ Our Hope Lutheran Church in Collingwood, Ontario, but the LWMLC Central District was privileged to know him when he served at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, prior to his current call.

Rev. Maher led a fantastic Bible study based on the theme verse.

Following the Bible study, the group heard from Alex Steinke, Lutheran Church–Canada’s Communications Director, about the many ways Synod office is communicating with pastors and congregations throughout Canada.

The event wrapped up with an update from each of the four District Vice Presidents on the work they’ve been doing over the last several months.

Overall, it was a great morning, filled with inspiration and information. The LWMLC appreciates all those who participated, both presenters and attendees.

Pam Burns

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

23

Central Region News

Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and NW Ontario - Michelle Heumann, editor

Spiritual Warfare FROM THE REGIONAL PASTOR, REV. DAVID HABERSTOCK

A

while ago, I was reading the Introduction to Luther’s Large Catechism and found much wisdom and encouragement there. The recent lockdowns have been a time of great anxiety and frustration. Stuck in our houses, cut off from family, friends, congregation, and regular social networks, we’ve become short-fused, owl-y, and growly with our loved ones. On some level, the distressing unrest in broader society may be a by-product of this seclusion and disruption—a way to release pressure.

But think about this: as much as you’ve been on edge with your loved ones, how much does this impact your general mood and attitude towards the Church (your congregation, your pastor, fellow pastors, and so forth), the government, and life right now? And ultimately, how does that affect how you have treated your neighbours, especially your brothers and sisters in Christ?

There is a lot of bad behaviour going on in each of our homes and each of our hearts. Mood regulation is a real challenge for many of us at the moment (including myself). If you’ve been struggling with this, hopefully one part of your prayers and inner dialogue has focused on repentance to the Lord for such behaviour.

This brings us back to the Catechism. There are many stresses on us, so do not forget that Satan and his minions are always at work in such challenges, seeking to push you past proper decorum, civility, and the bounds of love to harm one another.

We are engaged, now more than ever, in a spiritual fight (Ephesians 6:11-12; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6).

24

Luther has much help to offer us in the Large Catechism. For instance, he says that a useful devotional practice for every Christian is to “read each morning, noon, and evening only a page or two in the catechism, the prayer book, the New Testament, or something else in the Bible.” He writes: “Every morning— and whenever I have time—I read and say, word for word, the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Psalms, and such. I must still read them daily. Yet I cannot master the catechism as I wish.”

The reason we do this is because “the Holy Spirit is present in such reading, repetition, and meditation.

He bestows ever new and more light and devoutness” (cf. Ephesians 6:17).

These next words of Luther are what have been very helpful for my mood lately: “Besides, catechism study is a most effective help against the devil, the world, the flesh, and all evil thoughts. It helps to be occupied with God’s Word, to speak it, and meditate on it, just as the first psalm declares people blessed who meditate on God’s Law day and night (Psalm 1:2).” This is most certainly true!

Some years ago at our circuit’s summer camp, I wrote little tunes to help kids memorize the Catechism.

Lately my nine-year-old and I have been working our way through the Catechism by learning those tunes (many can be found on YouTube here: shorturl.at/htGL0). To be occupied with the Word of God, to have it in

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

your heart, and on your tongue is a great help in lifting your spirit and driving away Satan and his constant temptations to frustration, despair, or whatever unhelpful thought patterns you may wrestle with that are plaguing your mood and demeanour these days.

Or as Luther says: “Certainly you will not release a stronger incense or other repellent against the devil than to be engaged by God’s commandments and words, and speak, sing, or think them (Colossians 3:16). For this is indeed the true ‘holy water’ and ‘holy sign’ from which the devil runs and by which he may be driven away (James 4:7).”

Again: “Now for this reason alone you ought gladly to read, speak, think, and use these things, even if you had no other profit and fruit from them than driving away the devil and evil thoughts by doing so. He can not hear or endure God’s Word.”

And again: “We not only need all this every day just as we need our daily bread, but we must also daily use it against the daily unending attacks and lurking of the devil (1 Peter 5:8).”

Memorizing the Catechism has been both a joy and comfort for me this spring. And it’s been a pleasure catching my daughter singing the Catechism as she moves through her day. I pray that such a practice of repeating the catechism may bless you similarly.

Central Region News

Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and NW Ontario - Michelle Heumann, editor

Our Saviour Lutheran Church holds Drive-In Worship Service

Rev. Brian Rosnau (right) leads a Drive-In worship service in Fort Qu’Appelle. Ruth Erickson (left) played piano for the event and Sheila Casper (centre) led congregational singing.

FORT QU’APPELLE, Sask. - The March 18, 2020 Lenten service was the final time the congregation of Our Saviour Lutheran Church (OLSC) gathered for worship before following recommendations from Lutheran Church–Canada to suspend services and church activities until further notice due to COVID-19. Like many other congregations in the days before and after, the congregation left the church that evening not knowing when they would be back together to

hear God’s Word, receive communion, and share in fellowship. They were reminded that they are a community of Lutherans and should be looking after the well-being of each other, and were asked to pray for the church, pastors, and members.

Keeping in touch through calls and physically distant visits with each other became the new normal.

Many times, conversations would turn to how much people missed worship. Then someone asked a simple question: “If other churches are having drive-in services, why can’t we?” And so the church council, pastor, and other members took on the challenges of planning a no-contact drive-in worship service on May 31.

Teams of volunteers were formed to research and comply with health guidelines, to plan traffic control, and to work out logistics for hymnal, bulletin, and guidelines distribution, no-contact offering collection, and equipment requirements.

May 31 was a great day, despite the wind, and by 2:00 p.m. in the

parking lot of K2 Crosstraining, more than 30 vehicles with 40-50 people had gathered to hear Vacancy Pastor Bryan Rosnau deliver the first drive-in worship service from atop a flat deck trailer. The organist, Ruth Erickson, played the keyboard, member Sheila Casper led the hymns, and special guest Gail Breti sang “Let it Be” during the offering. Community member Dennis Regel provided the technology to broadcast the service over an FM station. A resounding chorus of honking horns followed the benediction, a sure sign of thanks and joy from being together once again to hear the Word.

Lavinia Henderson

Guest vocalist Gail Breti sings during the Drive-In worship service.

Virtual VBS at Beautiful Saviour

Rainforest Explorers VBS by Concordia Publishing House.

WINNIPEG - In March of this year, the Vacation Bible School (VBS) team at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church realized they had two choices for summer Vacation Bible School: cancel and resume in 2021 or host a virtual VBS. God gave them the courage to tackle a virtual Rainforest Explorer VBS program with a dedicated and talented team of people willing to try something new.

Beautiful Savior’s Virtual VBS ran from June 29 to July 3, 2020.

Organizers decided to prioritize easy-setup activities that incorporated ordinary household items, since parents would be running the program from home. Team member Angela planned out simple yet fun crafts. Snack ideas with substitutions were offered for each day. Parents were encouraged to participate in the activities and games, especially for households with only one child.

Team member Lindsay created easyto-follow one-page instruction sheets detailing each activity.

Rev. Cam Schnarr produced videos for the opening and closing, with prayers, Bible stories, and music. Team member Brandi and Rev. Schnarr filmed Bible challenges and stories at various locations with different backgrounds.

Beautiful Savior’s Virtual VBS had families register from across all the western provinces as well as Ontario. God greatly blessed them with a wonderfully talented team so that they could bring His message to children across the country. It seemed especially important in this pandemic year for children to hear that Jesus treasures them and that He is there for them at all times.

One participating family commented: “We are enjoying the VBS material. The crafts and games are simple and the experiments are a great addition!” Another family sent some words of encouragement following their participation in the program: “Just wanted to let you know how well-planned, organized, easy to follow, and fun this was for us.”

Beatrix Wolff

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

25

Central Region News

Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and NW Ontario - Michelle Heumann, editor

Dryden hosts online Vacation Bible School

Rev. Alex Timm hosts Dryden’s virtual VBS.

Dryden’s “Rainforest Music Crew.”

Rev. Alex Timm highlights the Bible in Dryden’s online VBS.

DRYDEN, Ont. - This July, Dryden Lutheran Church attempted to create a virtual Vacation Bible School (VBS) as similar to in-person VBS as possible.

During the week of July 6, 2020, each day began with an online check-in with Rev. Alex Timm, where he got to know the students and they had the chance to share what they discovered during the previous day. After that, he sent them to the respective Day page (see https:// drydenlutheran.ca/vbs/).

Each day’s lesson began with an opening video featuring Rev. Timm and Sidney the Sloth, followed by a music video with the Rainforest Music Troupe, made up of the youth of the congregation. Next, participants were treated to the story of the day (you never knew what to expect when you started it!), the memory verse, and a connecting experiment. After that, instructions were provided to complete the craft, snack, game, and colouring sheet of the day. The day closed with a video of Rev. Timm sharing the treasure he had found with Sidney the Sloth.

Twenty-three participants registered from across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Northern Ontario, and Southern Ontario, and many older members of the congregation also took part. Participants and their parents passed on thanks for the opportunity to take part, and highly encourage as many people as possible to participate in the virtual VBS. The VBS is available all summer and Rev. Timm will be hosting live checkins each Wednesday from 9:00-10:00 a.m. CDT. If any congregations wish to host a VBS but do not have the resources to create the virtual material, they are welcome to use this material. Please contact lutheranchurch@tbaytel.net to receive assistance in creating Adventure Kits for your local participants and hosting your own virtual check-ins.

Marion Timm

CENTRAL REGION

Contact Rev. David Haberstock, Regional Pastor

| dhaberstock@lutheranchurch.ca | 1. 800. 663. 5673 | 26

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

East Region News

Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada - Michelle Heumann, editor

Mats, masks, and more to help those in need

GODERICH, Ont. - The pandemic has prevented in-person, out of town deliveries of sleeping mats and knitwear from the Berea Lutheran Hats and Mats Project, but the group continues to knit and work on the Feminine Hygiene Project, as well as a new project: making cloth facemasks.

Between January and March 2020 the group delivered: 80 milk bag sleeping mats, 150 knit hats, 60 pair of knit mitts, 50 scarves, 165 pairs of socks, and several boxes of cereal to homeless shelters in Southern Ontario. Deliveries ceased following stay-home orders in March. Between January and July, the

Feminine Hygiene Project group made and sent off 165 crocheted facecloths, 100 cloth bags, 160 cotton shields, and 800 liners. These items are assembled into kits to be given to young schoolaged women, most recently in the Caribbean, so they can continue to attend school.

During the pandemic, the Feminine Hygiene Project group created 100 cloth facemasks for the Berea (Goderich) and Zion (Dashwood) church communities. Church members can use them to attend appointments, do their shopping, and attend church in person. As of July, wearing masks was mandatory in public buildings.

During the pandemic, the Monday night community group has continued to knit hats, mitts, and facecloths, making several porch drop-offs over the past few months. Additional finished work has filled the storage area at Berea, and the group looks forward to being able to make in-person, out of town deliveries to homeless shelters in the future.

Donations of bulky acrylic yarn and new white socks are always welcomed by the project. Contact Heather Ball through the Berea Lutheran Church Facebook page for more information.

Heather Ball

COVID-19 and outreach in Windsor W I N D S O R , O n t . - Windsor Essex County Lutheran Outreach (WECLO) has continued its important intercultural ministry, albeit in different forms, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Javed Khan, lay missionary for WECLO, reports a number of changes the ministry has undertaken to maintain contact with friends and family. The ministry organized shopping groups (following health protocols) to ensure people were still able to get their daily necessities during the pandemic. These trips also allowed Khan to inquire about people’s health, welfare, and needs.

Bible studies had to be suspended, due to the difficulty of coordinating

translators for online studies. Instead, ministry of the Word continues through weekly emails in both English and Chinese with Scripture and meditations on hope, prayer, family, strength, and other subjects.

Much of the ministry to those of an Indian background has carried on via telephone.

Other recent occasions for ministry have included helping a South Indian Christian family navigate funeral arrangements following the death of the father in the middle of the pandemic; the provision of cooking classes online; and coaching golf following the reopening of golf courses.

The Khan family hopes to restart hospitality ministry as coronavirus

restrictions begin to be lifted, while still following all relevant health guidelines.

Javed Khan

SUBMISSIONS Send your news, photos, articles, and announcements to Michelle Heumann, Regional Editor: regionalnewseditor@ lutheranchurch.ca.

For submission guidelines, visit www.canadianlutheran. ca/editors-and-submissions/.

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

27

East Region News

Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada - Michelle Heumann, editor

The Father Directs

Our Speaking

FROM THE REGIONAL PASTOR, REV. MARVIN BUBLITZ

W

hen I was a very young boy, my brother and I were having a sibling discussion in the yard, and I said some things in a way I should not have. Suddenly, I heard my father’s voice through the open living room window. He said, “Marvin, we do not talk like that in this family.”

My first old Adam instinct was to deny. I didn’t say that. Then I deflected. I cursed that stupid window for being open. It was the window’s fault. It was my brother’s fault. It was Dad’s fault for eavesdropping. Then I deceived myself into thinking it did not matter.

Such is the way of the old Adam.

He works hand in hand with the Devil against the will of the Lord and against the people of God. During stressful and difficult times, he often makes great progress. He convinces us that we know what is best and how everyone else should act.

This describes the situation in the world and the church today.

Funds are getting tighter. People are out of work. Tensions are rising. I am finding with this whole pandemic and lockdown that people are more on edge, both in society and in the church. Is it because of a lack of personal interaction? Is it because people have not seen each other at work or school for a while?

Is it because for months we have not met face to face in front of the font and altar?

It is because the old Adam is alive and active—even among the people of God. The old Adam convinces us to look at others through his eyes. Soon, like Cain,

28

we see the worst in others. It is often said that when times are difficult the first commandment that falls is the eighth. We no longer strive to put the best construction on anything. We no longer look for the best in others. Rather, we look with the eyes of the old Adam.

We see those around us the way the sinful nature intends. We see them as threats to our position, our control, and our power. We are more apt to accuse, condemn, and gossip about others than to build them up. And we do not see ourselves as we should. We deny, deflect, and deceive when we do something wrong.

Why? Because we look with the eyes of the old Adam rather than the eyes of the second Adam, Jesus Christ.

You see, it is not the eighth commandment that is the first to hit the cutting room floor. It is really the first commandment. The Devil and our old Adam convince us that we know what is best and right.

Then we have really set ourselves up as a god. As Martin Luther said in the Large Catechism: “Whoever trusts and boasts that he possesses great skill, prudence, power, favor, friendship, and honour has also a god, but not this true and only God.” Once we do that, the rest of the commandments are quick to fall as well. Then it is no surprise that we fail to put the best construction on everyone and everything.

But I remember the words of my father: “We don’t talk like that in this family.” Well, at least we shouldn’t. Sadly, we do. Sadly, we look and listen with the eyes

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

and ears of the old Adam. Now, don’t think that this old Adam is something outside of ourselves. It is not. It is our sinful nature within us.

It is not something we can fix with our great skill, prudence, power, favour, friendship, or honour.

Only the second Adam is able to defeat the old Adam. So our hope is not that we deny, deflect, and deceive. Rather, we repent, confess, and receive. We repent of our sins against the Lord and against our neighbour. We confess them before the Lord Christ. Then we receive His holy absolution.

As He restores us, He also gives us new eyes to see others. He gives us new ears to listen to others. No longer do we look and listen with the eyes and ears of the old Adam.

Now we look with the eyes of the second Adam. We see each other as He sees us. He sees us as one beloved for which He was willing to die. We listen with the ears of the second Adam. We listen to others out of love. In so doing, we put the best construction on everything.

See, our Heavenly Father has taught us how to talk to Him and to each other in this family: “I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto you all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended you.” Then we hear the second Adam declare, “I forgive you all your sins.” We, who have received such love and forgiveness, then show that love and forgiveness to others.

May the God of all mercy and grace sustain us through these difficult days in true Christian love toward one another.

East Region News

Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada - Michelle Heumann, editor

Married during the pandemic LONDON, Ont. - Rev. Richard Juritsch of Grace Lutheran (St. Catharines, Ontario) and Tracey Klages of Good Shepherd Lutheran (London, Ontario) were joined in holy marriage at Good Shepherd on Sunday, May 17, 2020.

All restrictions instituted by the province of Ontario due to the COVID-19 pandemic were observed during the service. Rev. Siem Manna officiated. Serving as witness were Dr. Naomi Klages, the bride’s sister, and Katherine Juritsch, the groom’s daughter.

The happy couple on their wedding day...

...and again with masks and faceshields.

Prince of Peace Burlington inducts vicar

Vicar David Zakel and his family.

BURLINGTON, Ont. - David Zakel, a student of Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary in St. Catharines, has been assigned to serve the Lord as vicar at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burlington, where he will serve under the supervision of vacancy pastor, Rev. Robert Krestick. Zakel was inducted to that position on Sunday, July 19, 2020.

The Service for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost followed the Order of Matins, and the officiant was Rev. Robert Krestick.

The readings were from Isaiah 44:6-8, Romans 8:18-27, and

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. The organist was Murray Birkett. The sermon text was Romans 8:18-27, and the preacher was Rev. Dr. Thomas Winger. The assembly was reminded that the gift of the Holy Spirit is given by Christ.

During the Induction of the Vicar part of the Service, Zakel was asked, “Are you prepared to serve as vicar in this congregation under the supervision of the vacancy pastor, undertaking your assignments as one who seeks information and aspires to hold the office of the holy ministry?”

He answered confidently, “I am, with the help of God.”

The service was altered because of health protocols in place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While one could dwell on the absence of hymn singing and social customs such as shaking of hands, it is better to emphasize that Vicar Zakel is now able to assume his vicar responsibilities and that the congregation has an additional leader to guide them through these unprecedented times.

Vicar Zakel’s wife Stephanie and their four children were present for this celebration, as well as his parents and his parents-in-law. Seminary friend Rev. Vishal Paul and his wife Ashu were also in attendance.

Vicar Zakel originally hails from Walsingham, Ontario, and was a member at Peace Lutheran in Tillsonburg.

Lois Munz Photos by Craig Lemon and Brad Smith

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

29

East Region News

Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada - Michelle Heumann, editor

Kitchener Circuit broadcasts joint Ascension Day service WATERLOO, Ont. - On May 20, 2020, Lutheran Church–Canada’s Kitchener Circuit broadcast via YouTube a joint Ascension Day service. Ten circuit congregations contributed to the Service of the Word, which featured music, liturgy, Scripture, and a sermon.

The service was organized by Redeemer Waterloo’s vicar, Markus Peschel, who had heard about other churches doing something similar. He commented that the purpose was to “first and foremost bring the Word of God to the congregations, the people of God. Secondly, it was, at least for me, an effort to show the people that the pastors are still working together, that we are not just our congregation struggling through this pandemic, but that we are in this together. And thirdly, it portrays the fellowship that we have as congregations, all being part of Lutheran Church–Canada.”

Each participating pastor recorded their contribution to the service with the camera focused on the altar (except in the case of the sermon), and the separate recordings were combined and edited by the secretary at Redeemer, Courtney Marshall, who, Vicar Peschel says, did a “phenomenal job.” All of the feedback on this unique project has been positive, and organizing the service was not too much work; the largest workload was editing and uploading the entire video.

Participating congregations included Bethel Lutheran (Kitchener), Emmanuel Lutheran (Petersburg), Faith Lutheran (Kitchener), First St. Paul’s Lutheran (Wellesley), Grace Lutheran (Kitchener), Historic St. Paul’s Lutheran (Kitchener), Holy Cross Lutheran (Kitchener), Messiah Lutheran (Waterloo), Redeemer Lutheran (Waterloo), and St. Paul’s Lutheran (Elmira).

With notes from Vicar Markus Peschel

Rev. Rick Frey participates in the Kitchener Circuit Ascension Day service.

Special music for the Kitchener Circuit Ascension Day service.

Vicar Markus Peschel preaches for the Kitchener Circuit Ascension Day service.

EAST REGION

Contact Rev. Marvin Bublitz, Regional Pastor | mbublitz@lutheranchurch.ca | 1. 855. 893. 1466 | 30

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

Mission News www.canadianlutheran.ca

Haiti Lutheran Mission Society distributes food hampers, soap, and essentials to Haitians amid pandemic

by Andrew Jackson

HAITI – The Haiti Lutheran Mission Society (HLMS) has been making great strides in adopting a new focus: Educating our Haiti brothers, laymen, to fill the role as spiritual leaders within their communities, in light of the lack of pastoral presence in the country. HLMS will, of course, still continue their relief work in service of those in need. Our brothers and sisters in Haiti experience much need, and it is often hard to understand in our vastly different style of living in Canada. One thing that is no different from Haitians and Canadians is that we are all created by our Lord God Almighty and are loved very, very much.

When HLMS asked our contacts in Haiti how the COVID-19 pandemic was affecting them, we were sad to learn that the situation is far worse than we had even anticipated.

“The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore” - Psalms 121: 7-8.

What comforting words King David wrote as he praised our Lord: “The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” We have Jesus Christ with us every day, everywhere—during times of joy and, most assuredly, in times of stress and worry!

No country has been spared from the pressing reality that the human body can be quickly overcome with sickness and death.

All life is precious. Our work in Haiti has always been centred on bringing the Good News of Jesus’ salvation to all. We have learned that, in Haiti, the numbers of those infected and dying are increasing everyday. The virus has infected the poor in the overcrowded slums of Port-au-Prince. It has infected

policemen and doctors. It has even spread into the prisons, which do not offer much hope for physical d i s t a n c i n g o f i n m a t e s . M a ny Haitians are distrustful of the government and, as a result, many do not take seriously the threat of COVID-19. Despite orders to stay indoors, people still frequent shops and go about their daily routines in the streets, without masks or physical distancing.

HLMS has already sent relief in the form of funding the distribution of food hampers and soap. With just a couple thousand dollars, we helped 40 individuals receive food and, more importantly, soap to clean themselves and their clothing. The hampers contained rice, pasta, milk, oil, Clorox, and soap.

HLMS invites additional support to fund the distribution of more food and soap among Haitians, along with the message of hope in Jesus Christ our Saviour. Please help us continue to support our brothers and sisters in Haiti. Your generous giving will provide essentials to these people as the pandemic continues to devastate the country. We also ask that you

remember in prayer the hospital staff, doctors, and government workers in Haiti, that the Holy Spirit would work through them to care for the people during this crisis.

We pray that the hearts of the leaders that govern are guided to facilitate the necessary care and education for their people; and that the people of Haiti hear and heed the recommendations by healthcare professionals; and that they would soon be delivered from the devastation of this pandemic. Please visit our website for more information on how you can help: http://www. haitilutheranmissionsociety.ca/ May the Lord bless you, protect you from all harm, keep you in health and continue to be with you all, always. Amen.

Andrew Jackson is treasurer of the Haiti Lutheran Mission Society. The HLMS is a listed service organization of Lutheran Church–Canada.

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

31

Mission News www.canadianlutheran.ca

Not-So-Short-Term Missions

by Robert C. Krestick

Before we said goodbye and God bless on our call, I asked brother Urroz what else our congregation could do to aid in his ministry.

Rev. Urroz said, “Come to us!”

Thus began an ongoing, sustainable mission relationship with many souls, not only in and around Leon, but throughout the Lutheran Church Synod of Nicaragua (ILSN).

New Year’s Day... 2010 Construction in Telica, Nicaragua.

E

very once in a while, I encounter a person or even a brother in the ministry who thinks that Team Zion’s yearly mission trips to León and surrounding areas in Nicaragua are not “real” mission trips because they are labeled by some as “short term.”

I am absolutely certain that our relationships with the people there are not short term. Please allow me to explain with a little bit of a history.

Mission Sunday... 2009 Redeemer Lutheran Church (Waterloo, Ontario) was visited by Rev. Maximo Urroz via Skype on Mission Sunday of 2009. In those days, under Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC)’s auspices, Redeemer was participating in the partner-to-partner program. Rev. Urroz was serving as missionary-atlarge for LCC’s Nicaragua missions.

The congregation was seeing the partner they were sponsoring in real time. It was a glorious day!

32

A team of twelve faithful members from Redeemer Lutheran Church arrived in Managua late on New Year’s Day of 2010. Later that week, on the outskirts of the city of Telica, just north of León, a Vacation Bible School began under a tree. Seemingly out of nowhere, 200 niños (children) appeared. In addition, a few hundred attended at the very rudimentary worship facilities of Marañonal and la Cartonara.

Gathering for Bible Study Redeemer/St. Paul Lutheran Church in Telica, Nicaragua.

Over the years, a strong ongoing relationship with the faithful in and around León has developed into one cohesive team. That is our NICA bothers and sisters and all the members of team Zion from LCC congregations across Canada.

Since its inception, Team Zion has carved out time to prepare with monthly meetings all year— beginning immediately after we return in February. Communication with our fellow workers is sustained throughout the year in person and with the blessings of technology. The Lord has blessed this outreach, and a parsonage has been built on the property where another church (Our Saviour Lutheran Church, León) will be constructed—again, paid for by faithful members of our Synod and current, past, present and future members of Team Zion.

New Beginnings... 2012-13 The team took a rest in 2011 as heads were still spinning after seeing with our own eyes what the Lord was doing in the hearts of our new brothers and sisters. At the urging of LCC and Rev. Urroz, we returned in 2012. It was during that trip that we were shown some land that Rev. Urroz thought would be fitting for a church. The first Sunday after the team’s return to Canada, the cost of the property was donated.

By the next trip in January of 2013, work began on what would become

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

Construction of the parsonage in León, Nicaragua

Mission News www.canadianlutheran.ca

Continuing Our Work Together The congregation at Redeemer/ St. Paul Lutheran Church in Telica is viable and thriving, while the congregation of Our Saviour Lutheran Church in León is meeting each week in different locations as they await the construction of their own church home.

The parsonage in León, Nicaragua.

Our team leader, Lisa Jackson, reports on the ongoing work of Team Zion’s ministry: “I think it’s safe to say that the January 2020 mission [prior to the necessary restrictions later put in

place as a result of the coronavirus pandemic] was a success by the Grace of God! More than 900 children attended VBS at six locations and more than 300 adults attended the six different bible studies. There were 355 food hampers distributed to families and so much progress made on the parsonage that the project finished a month early, allowing Pastor Urroz and family to move in.”

Jackson continued: “In addition to our team of 29 from across Canada, there were eight pastors, seven deaconesses, three church volunteers, two music leaders, twelve translators, three drivers, and several community helpers that worked with us, all who expressed gratitude and joy at being part of spreading the Word. The benefit of the ongoing mission trip visits also helps inject much needed income into the lives of not just those who receive stipends but also the businesses and service people that make our lives comfortable during our trip.”

We a re i n t h e p ro c e s s o f preparing for 2021 albeit things will be different since we have had to concede that we won’t be travelling to Nicaragua in-person.

We are excited at our continuing relationship and active ministry

and so have continued meeting and preparing to serve the people of Nicaragua remotely from Canada.

You too can join us. All it takes is your time and cash. The heavenly Father has already supplied that and I can tell you that His Holy Spirit will be with you to supply all else you need when you work together with the dear ones in Nicaragua.

Rev. Robert C. Krestick is chairman of the Board of Regents for Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Catherines and Pastor Emeritus of Redeemer Lutheran Church (Waterloo, Ontario). He has been serving as vacancy pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran (Burlington, Ontario) for nearly two years.

learn more about LCC Missions in Nicaragua Follow @lcc_missions on Instagram!

Check out our introductory video “LCC Missions 101” on YouTube!

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

33

Education News www.canadianlutheran.ca

2020 issue of Lutheran Theological Review

CANADA - Lutheran Church– Canada’s (LCC) two seminaries have published the latest issue of Lutheran Theological Review.

“This journal exists to serve Lutheran Church–Canada, whose name reflects her confession and context,” notes Rev. Dr. Thomas M. Winger in an editorial foreword to the issue. “But the challenges that face contemporary Lutheranism in Canada are not unique to this country. This is witnessed by two

articles written by close colleagues in our sister church, the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany (SELK)… We face many of the same anti-Christian, demonic forces; and we must confront them with the same timeless Christian faith so well confessed by our Lutheran forefathers.”

Vo l u m e 3 1 f e a t u r e s t w o short studies: Rev. Dr. John R. Stephenson’s “‘Love, You Made Me in the Image’: or, How Good

Hymns Need Matching Tunes”; and SELK Bishop Hans-Jörg Voigt’s “Response to Medical Assistance in Dying.”

Feature articles include: Peter Daniel Fawcett’s “Where the Villains Hang Out: Themes of Reversal in II Samuel 17-18”; Rev. Richard F. Juritsch’s “Responding Pastorally to the Transgender Movement”; Rev. Dr. Werner Klän’s “Lutheran Identity in a Post-Christian Context: A European Case Study”; and Rev. Dr. John R. Stephenson’s “The Motif of Sacrifice in the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of the Roman Mass.”

The issue also features a sermon

by LCC Past President Robert Bugbee: “When the Gospel Heart Beats (1 Tim. 2:1-7).”

You can download every issue of Lutheran Theological Review for free online at: www.concordiaseminary.ca/ltr/.

Concordia Lutheran Seminary students travel to Southeast Asia

Students and Dr. Gimbel in Cambodia.

EDMONTON - On January 2, 2020, four fourth-year seminary students, along with Dr. James Gimbel, left to study in Thailand and Cambodia for the World Religions course.

Highlights of the trip included visiting the Lutheran Hour Ministries

34

recording studio in Bangkok, and having classes in an outdoor setting.

The seminarians Skyped with former LCC missionary to Ukraine Rev. Roland Syens, who spoke about the religion of atheistic materialism, and with former LCC President Rev.

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

Dr. Ralph Mayan, who talked about some of the religious and cultural challenges of Central American mission work.

In Cambodia, Phnom Penh evangelist and translator Peter shared his story of God bringing him first to the Christian faith, then to Lutheranism through Lutheran translation work. As well, Rev. Dr. Leonard Harms presented several sessions to the students, who in turn presented Dr. and Mrs. Harms with a Thai gold-coloured banner printed with Joshua 1:9, reminding Dr. Harms that his words and wisdom were like gold to the class.

The seminary is thankful for the experience and learning, for safe travel and relatively good health, and for the personal encouragement and financial support that allowed this class and trip to unfold without fiscal hardships on student or seminary budgets.

Go o d New s f o r Ev e r y L a n g u a g e L U T H E R A N B I B L E T R A N S L AT O R S O F C A N A D A

Summer 2020

Bible House dedicated! To God be the Glory!

S

unday, March 1, 2020, marked the realization of many hopes, dreams, and prayers and the culmination of much hard work.

The completed Bible House in Ngaoundere, Cameroon, was dedicated to Christ’s service for the translation and proclamation of God’s Word.

People came from all over to celebrate this event. Rev. Ron Mohr joined Martin and Joan Weber to represent LBT of Canada.

People from all three of our LBTC projects were in Ngaoundere at the dedication, allowing Pastor Mohr to meet them in person and discuss the current state of their projects and their future hopes and plans, a rare God-given opportunity. LBT US was represented by Regional Director Rev. David Federwitz and his wife Valerie, Caleb Rodewald (photographer/videographer), missionaries Elliot and Serena Derricks and their children, and Ariana Schulte (intern).

Prior to the dedication generous friends of LBTC provided donations to help with costs, such as food.

A few days before the dedication, Pastor Touka called Martin, asking him to bring his truck to haul the bull he had purchased from a nearby village market to Ngaoundere. Not one to miss out on an adventure, Pastor Mohr joined them and took pictures and videos to show the donors how their gifts were spent.

The dedication celebration began with a service at the cathedral. Pastor

Bible House, Ngaoundere, Cameroon

Procession from the Cathedral to the Bible House

Mohr preached for that service while Martin Weber translated.

The Scriptures were read in French and at least five choirs filled the sanctuary with joyful praises in several different languages.

Over 500 people then took part in the 500-metre-long procession from the cathedral to the Bible House. The celebration continued w i t h m a ny s p e e c h e s , mu c h

music and dancing, and several presentations and expressions of appreciation. Martin Weber gave a stirring account of how God was at work in many ways and through many people in the whole process of bringing this project to fruition.

The dedication rite began with the national bishop of the Lutheran continued next page Pentecost & Lutheran Bible Translators of Canada – Great together!

Our ascended Lord sent His Holy Spirit as He promised. What the Holy Spirit worked in those first believers on that first Christian Pentecost is very much akin to the work done by the Holy Spirit through Lutheran Bible Translators of Canada missionaries, translators, and ministry partners.

The proclamation of the gospel in the heart languages of the people gathered in Jerusalem that day resulted in 3000 people coming to faith in Jesus. The proclamation of the gospel in the Kwanja, Nizaa, and Dowayo languages in Cameroon is resulting in the salvation of many in those language groups and the strengthening and deepening of the relationship with Christ for those who already believe. Thank you for your prayers and financial support that help enable this growth of Christ’s kingdom to continue.

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

35 1

Kwanja-Ndung lectionary dedicated

N

early 40 years ago, Martin and Joan Weber began their LBTC translation ministry among the Kwanja communities of central Cameroon. This spring marked the climax of their time in Cameroon and the fulfillment of a long-standing commitment to the Kwanja people.

They celebrated the dedication of a second three-year lectionary, this time in the Kwanja-Ndung language.

The March 7 dedication was not only a high point for the Webers, but also for many Kwanja people. Several had already been saving up and had begun paying for their books even before they were printed!

The dedication celebration began on Friday afternoon with bringing the lectionary books to Nyamboya, where the ceremony was to be held the next day. To Martin’s surprise, a procession met them outside of town. More than 100 Kwanjas were rejoicing and dancing ahead of them as they drove very slowly the last couple of kilometers to the Kwanja chief ’s compound. There they were honoured with a program including songs composed for the reception of the books and a special meal.

Saturday morning the dedication ceremony began at 10 am and continued about three and a half hours! Several choirs and local composers sang songs for the occasion. Three to five hundred people gathered to celebrate receiving God’s Word in their heart language.

Priests and pastors processed forward to begin the ceremony.

Following their cultural traditions, first the men did dance movements with leafy stalks, moving forward and then back three times with hunting motions. Then the women, with movements including sweeping motions to prepare the way, moved forward and back four times. This was to acclaim and receive the Word

of God as a Hero, a great Leader, a new Chief for their lives. This lectionary is the Bible they will read in all their services.

The women then presented the lectionary in a basket, for the dedication rite to begin. This was all done with much prayer and preaching and great praise and glory given to our Lord.

After the dedication rite and as part of the ceremony, several people bought their lectionary books of Scripture readings at special higher prices to show how much they value God’s Word in their language and to contribute to fund more books. Many others bought theirs after the ceremony.

One poor elderly lady bought the lectionary book, even though she cannot read. She said, “It is a precious book. I want the book so my children and my grandchildren will borrow it and read it!”

Bringing in the lectionary has several unique cultural aspects. It can’t be seen until it is presented at the chancel. It is hidden (protected) in the middle of the tightly huddled group of women and behind the cloth held by the two women at the front of the huddled group. The procession was led by two women wielding machetes. At several points the procession would stop and they would perform a sword-fight dance. Behind the machete-bearers came two men with incense burners. The procession took 10-15 minutes as it wove all through the large open area in front of the chancel.

The whole process was choreographed with all the dance movements (by groups of men and of women)having meaning and purpose. This was all accompanied by drums and singing.

From an article by Martin & Joan Weber

2020 Lifetime Achievement Awards

T

his year’s LBTC Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to Jerome Yuare (left) and Emmanuel Nganko. Both of these faithful Christian men are native Kwanja speakers and served on the Kwanja translation team with the Webers. The Webers began this translation work in 1982 and Emmanuel Jerome Yuare (left) and served with them nearly from the beginning. Jerome Emmanuel Nganko. joined the team only a short time later and was mentored by the Webers and Emmanuel in the translation process. The language skills of both of these men were invaluable in the production of the Kwanja New Testament and the two three-year lectionaries, one in KwanjaSundani and one in Kwanja-Ndung. Pastor Mohr had the opportunity to present the awards to these men in person during the dedications of the Bible House and the Kwanja-Ndung lectionary in March.

3

Dedication, continued Church of Cameroon (EELC) praying for God’s blessing upon the whole building, cutting the ribbon and unveiling the sign. He then entered the building and proceeded to pray over and bless each room of the Bible House with a prayer specific to that room’s purpose.

It is a custom in Cameroon to choose a fabric design for special events. Many people have dresses, pants, jackets, ties, head-coverings, or whole outfits made with that fabric to wear. Pastor Touka, the director of EELC’s Department for Translation and Literacy, presented

Pastor Mohr with a pastoral stole made of the fabric design chosen especially for this celebration.

What a wonderful way to say thank you and an awesome memento of t he joyful celebration.

Over and over, the people of the E E LC e x pre ss e d their heartfelt thanks to the people of LBT Canada for their generous

Pastor Touka with Pastor Mohr who is wearing his gift of a stole made from the fabric chosen for the Bible House celebration.

donations large and small that made this building a reality.

Pastor Touka and all the translation teams, promoters, and literacy workers are grateful to have a place where they can work together in making God’s Word available in more languages for the people of Cameroon. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

“But the word of God increased and multiplied” (Acts 12:24)

I

young church serves t is a wonderful thing to scatter the Gospel when God orchestrates throughout Judea and opportunities so His Samaria (8:1) and to mission is accomplished! other regions beyond The Acts of the Apostles traditional Jewish lands is a book replete with (11:19-21). Persecution examples of God taking Rev. Michael Kuhn served to propel Paul action to put His servants from place to place on his missionary in situations so He can work through journeys as well; eventually moving them. In fact, since St. John of him in Rome! God is always working, Chrysostom, some theologians have sometimes in unexpected ways, to argued that the book was mis-named cause His Word to go out. since it is the Holy Spirit who is the Why all this talk about God primary actor in the pages of St. Luke’s working in Acts? Well, Acts was a second volume. Chrysostom wrote: major focus of mine on this furlough! “the Gospels are a history of what I have always loved the book for Christ did and said; but the Acts, of its missionary focus, but our everwhat that ‘other Paraclete’ said and active God presented me with an did.” (Hom. 1.5) opportunity on this furlough to dive In Acts, we see the Holy Spirit deeper into the book than I ever had consistently moving; sometimes before and to share it with a group I in subtle ways and at other times hadn’t expected to connect with! in forthright ways. Pentecost is, of It began in early 2019 when course, the most obvious occasion Concordia Lutheran Seminary in that comes to mind, but consider Edmonton approached me about also His activity in in the episodes teaching a course during our of Phillip and the Ethiopian eunuch furlough. I was immediately excited (Ch 8) and when Peter preaches by the opportunity, so we moved to Cornelius in Caesarea (Ch 10) on to considering possible topics where God unmistakably acts to for a class. After weighing a few cause His Gospel to go out. Even the options, we settled on an Exegetical persecution God allows to fall on his

2

Study of Acts; a course that would benefit the students and leverage my experiences. We slated the course for the short-term in May of 2020.

We spent as much time looking at the threads and themes of the book as we did studying the Greek text, and the whole experience was very enriching for me. Perhaps you have heard it said that the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else? That was certainly my experience! And based on the response from the students, it was rewarding for them as well!

Since the course wrapped up, most of the students in the class have been called to their first parishes and our family has been getting ready to return to Cameroon. Even though we are all embarking on separate paths, I know that our gracious God goes with each of us just as He accompanied His servants in Acts!

How will the still-active Spirit work in and through the lives of the men in the course so that His Word continues to grow? What opportunities will He orchestrate for our family in our next term in Cameroon? I look forward to finding out!

Rev. Mike Kuhn

COVID-19’s impact on LBTC COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on the whole world and LBTC has not been immune to its affects. Thanks be to God that all of LBTC’s missionaries and office staff have remained healthy throughout this time. Still, many adjustments have had to be made.

Pastor Mohr and Tara Bradley (LBTC’s financial/office manager) have both been working from home since the middle of March. Because of the many restrictions, volunteers have not been able to gather to work on mailings and Harry Drews (LBTC’s office volunteer) has not been able to do the record keeping that has been most valuable over the last several years.

But the pandemic has had the biggest impact on the Webers and Kuhns. The borders of Cameroon were closed in mid-March. The US embassy offered an evacuation flight in early April and, after much prayer and consultation with LBTC/US and with their family, the Webers decided to evacuate to the US. The Kuhn family had planned to make many more visits to supporting congregations and

individual prayer partners and donors across Canada during the second half of their furlough. These had to be cancelled. Pastor Kuhn prepared a video by which he shared his work with the Nizaa translation team online. He also taught a course for the students at LCC’s Edmonton seminary, adjusting the material so he could teach it online.

They had planned to return to Cameroon in June. But Cameroon’s government was not issuing any travel documents at the time.

Recently their visa services have been restored, so the Kuhn’s now plan on returning in mid-September.

Both Webers and Kuhns are asking for your prayers as they wait for the uncertainty of these times to lessen.

Please pray for God to continue to protect them from illness and to grant them a safe return to Cameroon in the coming months.

Pastor Mohr has been making use of phone calls and social media to keep connected with LBTC supporters and to bring the good news of what God is doing through LBTC mission work to a broader audience. Tara and her family have

worked hard to keep LBTC mailings going out. The LBTC Board of Directors have continued to meet as needed through online meetings and conference calls. Webers, Kuhns and Pastor Mohr have continued to work with, pray with, and support the many people in Cameroon who partner with LBTC in bringing God’s Word to the people of Cameroon in the languages of their hearts.

Additional photos Kwanja-Ndung lectionary

Use of incense during the dedication.

Close-up of machete protectors.

Here is my gift of $ ________________ I prefer to receive one annual receipt each year (only for individuals).

Name:

________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ Email:

________________________________________________ Lutheran Bible Translators of Canada 275 Lawrence Avenue, Kitchener, ON N2M 1Y3 519-742-3361 or 1-866-518-7071 info@lbtc.ca www.lbtc.ca

38 4

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

Spending of funds is confined to programs/ projects approved by LBTC. Contributions designated for such will be used as designated with the understanding that when the program/project has been funded or cannot be completed for a reason determined

by LBTC, the remainder will be used where needed most.

Gifts are acknowledged and receipted with an official receipt for income tax.

How To Respond With Your Gift of Support

• By cheque You can also send LBTC post-dated cheques to continue support for several months.

• Online - Visit www.lbtc.ca, select “Supporting LBTC” and click on a blue CanadaHelps button. CanadaHelps will issue a receipt by email. It is possible to set up montly donations through CanadaHelps.

• By credit card Expiry Date _______________ Name on card _____________________________________ Card # ______________________________

In Review: Greyhound HEAVY ACTION, LIGHT CHARACTERS & THE LUTHERAN CONNECTION

by Ted Giese

G

re y h o u n d , To m H a n k s ’ adaptation of the 1955 C.S. Forester novel The Good Shepherd, was set to sail into theatres June 12,, 2020, and then pushed back to June 21. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was finally launched into the seas of digital streaming on July 10 via Apple TV+, the new streaming service which acquired the film’s distribution rights from Sony Pictures.

The film closely follows Commander Ernest Krause (Tom Hanks), an experienced USA Naval officer, on his first commission as captain in 1942 around the middle of WWII. He’s tasked with shepherding a convoy of troop and cargo ships across the North Atlantic through the “Black Pit,” an area out of range of Allied air support and routinely patrolled

by Nazi U-boat wolfpacks.

His ship, the USS Keeling codenamed “Greyhound,” is a Fletcher-class destroyer.

Accompanying it are additional vessels including a Canadian corvette, the HMCS Sackville.

The bulk of the movie takes place as they work to protect the convoy as they traverse the “Black Pit,” with title cards reminding the viewer how many hours are left before they reach the safety of RAF air support.

War films use a kind of short hand that helps build character quickly: maybe one of the sailors has a nickname, or a photo of his girlfriend or fiancée or wife tucked in a pocket; maybe he has a distinctive physical feature or voice; maybe in a quiet moment he tells a story from back home about his mother’s cooking, or what he plans to do when he gets back home (in most war films that’s

usually a big hint that the character will die before the film is over). In Greyhound, Hanks as writer refrains from these sort of details, opting to focus almost entirely on Captain Krause. He is the only character with a life outside of his work on the ship: a girlfriend Evelyn (Elisabeth Shue) whom he loves and wants to marry but who refuses his proposal before he ships out. Unfortunately, limiting characterization of the crew makes it hard for viewers to hope for or grieve with crew members who die in battle. Even the one exception, crew member (Rob Morgan), never receives a back story although

of the antagonist German trying to psychologically undermine Krause’s confidence. This is another area where character development could be expanded. (As an aside, Nazi U-Boats could not hack into US Naval communication systems. This is a bit of dramatic fiction.) And this is perhaps the film’s greatest flaw: there are occasionally elements meant to illicit drama, but they are sparse. No amount of action—and there is a lot of action— can make up for thinly-written characters. Strong characterization can ramp up even a dull action scene. It is challenging to sustain excitement or tension when viewers have little or nothing to cling to.

THE LUTHERAN CONNECTION

viewers might piece together that he was from Ohio.

With a running time of 91 minutes, ten of which are final credits, there was ample time to flesh out a couple of crew members or include a B-plot to run alongside the story of a firsttime captain battling U-boats in the North Atlantic. A number of times in the film a disembodied voice of an unnamed U-boat wolfpack captain breaks in over the USS Keeling’s communications taunting Krause. Viewers are never shown the inside of the U-boat or the face

While not explicitly detailed in the film, in C.S. Forester’s book, Captain Krause is the son of a Lutheran pastor. This explains why he is shown privately praying an abbreviated version of Luther’s morning and evening prayers as found in the Small Catechism: “Dear Lord, let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me,” and “Into Your hands I commend myself my body and soul. Amen.” These prayers were featured in the film’s trailer, but Lutherans hoping to see the full prayers in the film may be disappointed.

That said, Krause is portrayed as a man of prayer who keeps a small card tucked to the mirror of his cabin quoting Hebrews 13:8—“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

His meal prayers are silent, and the crew around him stand silently as he prays. Had the prayers not been silent, Lutheran viewers might expect to hear Krause pray, “Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let these gifts to us be blest. Amen.”

T h e s i t u a t i o n a l i ro ny l e f t unexplored is the American Krause

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

39

The film has a lot going for it. For (a German surname) and apparent what is thrown at him. He is aware the most part it is faithful to its time Lutheran, engaged in battle with he’s under the microscope. For that a German wolfpack captain who period; it even sets aside the modern reason, in one scene he brings his may potentially be saying the same identity politics which regularly concerns privately to his executive prayers—albeit not in English. creep into most films today but which officer, asking about an alternate Again, this is another area of would be historically out of place in route to bring the convoy to RAF potential drama the film leaves out.

1942. It also has a strong Christian air cover earlier than planned. If It’s important to add that while the central character in Krause, who that conversation was held in front film is based in the hard reality of attempts to emulate the steadfastness of others they might worry that the war at sea at the height of WWII, of Christ Jesus—who is the same captain was not confident in their it is a fictional story. There was yesterday, today and forever—even success. Krause, the experienced no USS Keeling and Krause is while serving as a captain in war. officer, knows that the work of not based on an actual US Naval Moreover, the film respects the dead, the captain is not just successfully captain, so the filmmakers were and is not gratuitously violent nor executing a series of commands but is free to build on concepts like both does it glamorize warfare. a vocation that extends from sinking captains being Lutherans or at the What it lacks, though, is rich enemy vessels right down to dealing very least Christians. characterization and storytelling with crew members who get into fist Christian viewers may that invite investment in the men applaud two other details of risking their lives in the service faith in the film, one obvious, PEOPLE NOTICE HOW THE of others. Greyhound is a little the other less so. The obvious CHRISTIANS IN THEIR LIFE dull compared with films like one is the burial at sea of three Nolan’s Dunkirk, DEAL WITH TIMES OF CRISIS Christopher sailors who died in battle. It is Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge, refreshing to see so dignified a OR TROUBLE; GREYHOUND’S or even older films like Steven burial depicted in film. The scene K R A U S E P R O V I D E S A Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, emphasizes the resurrection of which also starred Tom Hanks. the dead, quoting Revelation C H A R AC T E R S T U DY I N The best WWII submarine film 20:13 and the promise that on MODELLING THE FAITH. is still Wolfgang Petersen’s 1981 the Last Day the sea will give Das Boot; viewers who enjoy up her dead—that all these Greyhound should revisit, or sailors and everyone on the ship who watch for the first time, Das Boot fights. If he wants to model devotion has faith in Christ will likewise be as a companion piece to Greyhound. and faithfulness, he must likewise be raised up to eternal life by the power Together these two films go a long devout and faithful in his vocation of the resurrected Christ Jesus, as way in painting a picture of the before others. People notice how described by St. Paul in Philippians harrowing struggle to survive the the Christians in their life deal with 3:21. Krause, not the ship’s padre, treacherous theatre of war that was times of crisis or trouble; Greyhound’s presides over this abbreviated Service the North Atlantic of WWII. Krause provides a character study in of Burial at sea, praying the prayers modelling the faith. and quoting the prescribed Scriptural passages.

FINAL The second, less obvious faith THOUGHTS aspect worth contemplating comes when a bridge crewmen notices that Is it worth getting an Apple TV+ Krause, who has eschewed sleep and subscription to watch Greyhound? food for hours on end, has bloody For some, yes; for most people, not feet from standing without rest. This really. The platform has been live kind of self-sacrifice, marked out in for seven months but is empty by Krause’s bloody footprints, points to comparison to streaming services like the suffering of Christ Jesus and His Disney+ and Netflix, though that of passion and crucifixion. The captain course could change in the future. To tasked with shepherding the convoy be eligible for awards, Greyhound will to safety is willing to put others Rev. Ted Giese is lead pastor of Mount Olive need a theatrical release, even if it’s before himself, his steadfastness and Lutheran Church, Regina; a contributor to limited, so it may eventually play in servant attitude on display.

LCMS Reporter; and movie reviewer for the a local theatre near you—especially Repeatedly, the film shows the “Issues, Etc.” radio program. For more of his as theatres start reopening in some crew looking to Krause to see his movie reviews, check out the Movie Review Index at: www.lutheran-church-regina.com. parts of North America. reactions and how he deals with

40

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

Transitions Rev. Adam Chandler, candidate, to Hope (Victoria, BC).

Ordination: June 21, 2020. Installation: July 19, 2020.

Rev. Travis Heide, candidate, to Mt. Calvary (Swift Current, SK). Ordination: June 14, 2020. Installation: July 19, 2020.

Announcements

Rev. Peter Knelson, candidate, to St. John’s Evangelical (Warman, SK). Ordination/Installation: August 2, 2020.

Rev. Timothy Graff, Rev. Samuel Kim, and Rev. Dr. Samual Thompson have completed the requirements for the Pastoral Colloquy Program of Lutheran Church–Canada and are eligible to receive a call in LCC. LCC says Goodbye to Holly Maharaj! After a year and a half of service with LCC, Administrative Assistant, Holly Maharaj’s last day was Friday, June 10. Holly is moving on to a new opportunity. We are so thankful to Holly for her contribution to our office! We wish Holly every blessing in the future!

LCC welcomes new admin assistant: Shegitu Aredo! We are pleased to announce that Shegitu Aredo has joined our administrative staff. Shegitu is an active member of Shalom Oromo Lutheran Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba. We look forward to having Shegitu on our team!

Rev. Joshua Kurtenbach, candidate, to Our Saviour (Fort Qu’Appelle, SK). Ordination/Installation: July 26, 2020 Rev. Vishal Paul, candidate, to Risen Christ (Mississauga, ON). Ordination/Installation: August 9, 2020.

Rev. Wendel Ritz, candidate, to Trinity Evangelical (Pincher Creek, AB). Ordination/Installation: August 9, 2020.

Rev. Mark Rekken, candidate, to Prince of Peace (Calgary, AB). Ordination/Installation: August 2, 2020.

Rev. Kenneth Stadnick, candidate, to Cross of Christ Lutheran Church of the Deaf (Edmonton). Ordination/ Installation: September 20, 2020.

Reminder: Up-to-date Calls/Transitions information can be accessed any time at: www.canadianlutheran.ca/ calls-transitions.

Classifieds Executive Director for Lutheran Association of Missionaries & Pilots Inc. (LAMP) in Edmonton, AB. The Executive Director opening is a result of an upcoming retirement.

With the head office located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and a satellite office in New Haven, MI, US, the Executive Director reports to two volunteer Boards of Directors (one Canadian and one US Board) that act as a single entity on matters related to the operations of L.A.M.P (Canada) and LAMP Ministry Inc. (US). The Executive Director is the Board’s single official link to the operating organization. S/he is accountable for all organizational performance and exercises all authority transmitted into the organization by the Board.

The ideal candidate will have a strong Christian faith, a belief in the triune God and that the Bible is God’s inspired word in its entirety, possess a heart and passion for missions, significant experience in a leadership capacity, previously worked with Boards and volunteers, and have a track record in fundraising and development as it pertains to a not-for-profit organization. Experience working with the underprivileged, as well as Indigenous communities, would be an asset. A preference may be shown to practicing Lutheran candidates.

@thecanadianlutheran @lutheranchurchcanada

@canlutheran @lcc_missions

As the Executive Director, you will be accountable for: • Advising the Board of Directors on all matters relating to the Operations of LAMP. • Fundraising and Resource Development.

• Marketing and Promoting of LAMP and its Mission.

• Leadership, Management, and Administrative Duties.

• Building and Furthering Relationships with Indigenous Northern Communities.

• Financial Management and Strategic Planning.

For further information please visit www.lampministry.org, or www.daviescg.com for the complete job profile.

James Davies, Managing Director DCG Executive Search Services Ltd. (780) 758-9796 | james@daviescg.com

Lutheran Church–Canada

@CanLutheran

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

41

President’s Ponderings

Leaving the Light On

by President Timothy Teuscher

“W

e’ll leave the light on for you.” That’s been Motel 6’s popular marketing slogan for nearly 35 years.

The phrase also expresses well the reason why we observe the various festivals and commemorations on the liturgical calendar of the Lutheran Church (Lutheran Service Book lists 34 festivals and 81 commemorations).

When we remember those throughout history who lived by faith in the promises of God, we are following the example of Hebrews chapter 11, which lists the names of many Old Testament individuals who by faith “received their commendation” (Hebrews 11:1). The writer of Hebrews exhorts us with these words: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).

It is for this reason that the Augsburg Confession states: “Our churches teach that the remembrance of the saints is to be commended in order that we may imitate their faith and good words according to our calling.” To put it another way, the saints of old call out to us through such commemorations, saying: “We’ll leave the light on for you.”

The various festivals or feasts on the liturgical calendar are reserved for those individuals whose lives on earth were so connected with the earthly life and ministry of Jesus that their stories are literally part of the Gospel itself. Along with the virgin Mary, John the Baptist, and a few others, the most obvious ones are the apostles and evangelists. The remembrance

42

of these saints is normally observed with special distinction in the Divine Service, complete with appointed Scripture readings, appropriate hymns, and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper in which the Word who became flesh, our Lord Jesus Christ, draws close to us and gives Himself to us—much in the same way that He came and lived among the apostles and other disciples in the New Testament. When these festivals fall on a Sunday, it is especially fitting for congregations to mark these special days.

In addition to the festivals or feasts, the church calendar also includes commemorations of other individuals from the Old and New Testaments, as well as Christians throughout the annals of history.

These commemorations are normally observed in daily devotions in the home, in schools, and in seminaries, in addition to an appropriate prayer in the Divine Service. These are days set aside to recognize those men and women who have gone before us in the faith and whom God used to preserve, strengthen, and extend His church. The dates for these commemorations are usually chosen to coincide with their heavenly birthday—that is, the day of their earthly death.

We are posting video recordings of worship services and devotions for these festivals and commemorations on our synod’s website as they become available. They are offered to members of our congregations for the purpose stated in the Apology of the Augsburg Confession concerning the remembrance of the saints—that we thank God for giving these faithful servants to His church, that our faith might be

THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN July/August 2020

strengthened as we see His grace and mercy extended to those who have gone before us, and that they might serve as examples to us today of faithfulness and holy living.

It seems to me that such is good, right, and proper so to do, especially at the present time in which we are living: a time of defections from the Church, of false teachings and practices within the Church, and of attacks from without upon the Church and the Christian faith. Coupled with all this, of course, are the issues, concerns, and problems facing our pastors and congregations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with no end in sight.

But do you know what? The Church has experienced and faced all this in the past—whether it be persecution from the Roman government in the days of Cyprian in the third century, false teachings like Arianism during the time of Athanasius in the fourth century, the devastating effects of war and pestilence in the days of Gregory the Great in the sixth century, or the isolation of Lutheran immigrants and small pastor-less congregations scattered across North America in the days of Friedrich Wyneken in the nineteenth century. Our Lord Jesus preserved and sustained His church in the past through faithful servants like these; He will do so in our own day as well. For He has promised: “I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

“We’ll leave the light on for you.”

So the saints of old call out to us. And they do so in order that we too might “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).

Reward yourself by planning ahead!

Luther Place Unity Adult condominiums in Unity, Saskatchewan from

$91,650*

Offering care-free independent Christian community lifestyle with a touch of country.

Independent living at Luther Place features a library, hair salon, garden plots, building security system, underground parking, community operated courtesy car plus taxi service.

For information on Unity check out www.townofunity.com

Call: 306-228-3884 Fax: 306-228-3885 E-mail: lutherplaceunity@sasktel.net *monthly condo fees starting at $456.90 Buy back policy in effect

Make an impact with your estate through a charitable gift in your will.

Learn more by visiting our website at www.lutheranfoundation.ca

SHARE YOUR NEWS! R E G I O N A L N E W S E D I T O R @ L U T H E R A N C H U R C H . C A